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

I will try to get the answer out over the interjections. Senator Kroger and the Senate would be aware that the Rudd Labor government has retained the excision of offshore islands, offshore processing at Christmas Island and mandatory detention of irregular maritime arrivals. Therefore, those persons who have arrived unlawfully in the last few days will be taken to Christmas Island where they will be mandatorily detained.

They will be detained in the detention facilities that the Howard government built in anticipation of this problem, they will be given the normal health, identity and security checks, and they will have any claims for asylum considered. We will be able to accommodate the most recent arrivals in the detention centre on Christmas Island. As I have advised the Senate before, we have also been increasing the capacity on Christmas Island in recent times, and there are plans for further capacity to be built in order to ensure that we have the capability of processing unauthorised arrivals on Christmas Island. They will be taken to Christmas Island, they will be detained, they will go through the normal health, identity and security checks, and they will have any claims for asylum assessed. If they are found to be genuine refugees, they will be resettled. If they are found not to be genuine refugees, they will be returned to their country of origin.