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

I am happy to confirm for Senator Scullion that the Prime Minister and this government does maintain a hard line on border security. We have maintained mandatory detention. We have maintained excision of offshore places. We have maintained processing on Christmas Island of unauthorised boat arrivals. And we have increased the number of boat and air surveillance available to ensure strong border security measures. So, if the question goes to whether or not we maintain the hard line of border security, the answer is absolutely yes.

The key question here is about what policy is maintained, and we have made it very clear that we maintain a strong policy on border security. We do want to manage those who come by boat to ensure that on arrival they have identity, health and security checks and are processed in accordance with our laws. We will continue to pursue that policy.