Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Prime Minister. Andrew Clennell of Sky News has reported that, following the Prime Minister's meetings with Jacinda Ardern and prior to the introduction of direction 99, the Prime Minister's department directly instructed the home affairs department to attempt to find a way to stop the deportation of so many New Zealand citizens and to 'fix the problem'. Prime Minister, is this true?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the deputy leader for his opposition.

Opposition members: Her.

Her question. Sky News occasionally don't get things right. I know it'll come. Usually it's at night. Usually during the day, before it becomes dark, truth sorts of gets darkened as the day goes on.

But the truth is that I, unlike my predecessor, have a job. I don't have multiple jobs. I haven't sworn myself in to multiple portfolios, including Home Affairs and Treasury. I'm also not the health minister. What we do is we have ministers who have responsibility for doing their jobs.

Let me be clear: section 501 remains in place. This has not changed. We continue to refuse and cancel visas on character grounds. We continue to deport people who have no right to be here. Since coming to government, we've deported over 4,200 individuals from immigration detention. That stands in stark contrast to one of the people who were sworn in as home affairs minister. On the Leader of the Opposition's watch, almost 1,300 hardcore criminals were released from immigration detention centres, not because of a High Court decision—not because he had to do it. They were released without any curfews, ankle bracelets, monitoring or regard for community safety. It included 102 sex offenders, 40 domestic violence offenders and four murderers, alleged murderers or accessories to murder.