Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. As has been reported in the press today and commented on by the department, there has been a disturbance at Christmas Island, which I am advised commenced just after 11 pm last night. In terms of the population at the Christmas Island detention centre, there are 203 people at the Christmas Island detention centre, no women and no children. There has been an initial response by the Serco officers, who have responsibility for maintaining the IDC there, and there will be further responses from the appropriate authorities, either negotiating or dealing with those people who have caused disturbances there.

It is important to remind the House that, as I say, the population today at the IDC is 203 people. At its peak, there were 2,238 people on Christmas Island, and we are very keen to reduce the number down to zero. We have been able to stop new boat arrivals. We have not had a successful people-smuggling venture to Australia in about 18 months or so, and the fact is that we have been able to close 13 of 17 detention centres since we have been in government. So we take the management of the detention centre network very seriously. If people have caused damage to Commonwealth property, they will be investigated and prosecuted in relation those matters.

The most serious part of the question that the member asked was in relation to an individual who, I am sorry to say, is deceased—a person that escaped from the centre, as I am advised, on Saturday was later found deceased yesterday. There is obviously a coronial inquiry in relation to the circumstances surrounding the death of that individual. As I am advised, there are no suspicious circumstances in relation to the death, but the matter should properly be investigated by the Australian Federal Police and referred to the coroner for a full coronial investigation. The government, obviously, will rely on that investigation and will not be making any comment further in relation to that person's circumstances.