Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Hansard source

I take Senator Ray’s supplementary to be a withdrawal of the imputation that we are supporting a government that is behind the production of heroin and the trafficking of it. So, on that basis, I accept it. But I will say this: we have people in the region. We are working with law enforcement in the region and working closely with a range of countries—Pakistan, the United States and the United Kingdom, to name a few—and we will continue to do so. Mr President, the fact remains that in Senator Ray’s question he talked about Australian defence forces propping up a government which was behind the supply of heroin and the production of opium. On the basis that I understand the supplementary to be a withdrawal of that imputation, I accept it.