Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Fierravanti-Wells for her question. The election commitments the Labor Party made prior to the last election were very clear. They were that we would maintain mandatory detention for unauthorised arrivals, be they by boat or airplane. That promise has been delivered. We made a commitment that we would retain the excision of offshore islands prior to the election. That commitment was honoured. We made a commitment that we would process unauthorised boat arrivals at Christmas Island. That commitment was honoured. All the election commitments the Labor Party made prior to the election have been delivered in government. We also made commitments to end the Pacific solution. That commitment has been honoured. We made a commitment to end temporary protection visas. That commitment has been honoured. We made a commitment to provide more humanity in the way we detain people and to respect their rights as individuals. That commitment has been delivered

On every aspect of Australian Labor Party policy in relation to border security and the treatment of those seeking asylum in this country, the election commitments we made have been delivered. Unlike those opposite, we have actually sought to be open with the Australian people about those policies and then deliver them, not offering core and non-core promises but offering properly coordinated public policy. We will continue to pursue our policy of attempting to disrupt people-smuggling operations to this country. Like the rest of the world, we are facing increased asylum-seeking activity, but we are absolutely committed to ensuring that we do everything we can to disrupt people-smuggling, and we committed $650 million more in this year’s budget to that end. That is being deployed now to try and disrupt people-smuggling— (Time expired)