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

Mr President, I am not quite sure of the thrust of the senator’s question but I will help him as much as I can. The senator would be aware that the 22 persons who disembarked the Oceanic Viking on the weekend were transported to the detention centre built by the former Howard government which provides detention facilities for use by the Indonesian government for persons they have detained there. I am not aware of how many others are in the detention centre because I understand there are others there from what I have seen in media reports. I have no direct knowledge of how many others are there. What we do know, though, is that we are seeking to disembark the remaining 56 of the 78 passengers and we are seeking to have them transported to the detention centre and processed in accordance with the arrangements with the Indonesian government and the UNHCR. They would be processed by the UNHCR in accordance with the normal processes. I understand the UNHCR has had regular access to that detention centre in the past and they have been assessing claims of those inside the detention centre in accordance with normal practices.