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

I have made it very clear that the Australian government stands by its decision to rescue people at sea. It stands by its decision to dispatch Australian resources to rescue people who are at risk of drowning. Having done that in the Indonesian search and rescue zone under the international law of the sea, the obligation was to take them to the nearest country. We did that. We took them to Indonesia and, as part of that process, the Indonesian government agreed that they would disembark in Indonesia in a port of their choosing under the conditions agreed with the Indonesian government. We insisted that they go to Indonesia. We were successful in the end in getting them to understand that and they disembarked in Indonesia. The only alternative was to bring them to Australia and we did not do that. You may have wished us to do that, but we did not do it. (Time expired)