Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Hansard source

The government’s performance on this question stands in very sharp contrast to the callous disregard shown for the rights of children under the previous government. The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship assured the parliament very recently that the government will meet its commitment to ensure that we do remove the majority of children from detention by June of this year. Our focus is on ensuring that the youngest unaccompanied minors, families with young children, single parents, pregnant women and other particularly vulnerable families are given the benefits of ensuring that we get them out of detention centres. Our priorities will then extend to older unaccompanied minors and other family groups, in that order. This is a rational approach to what is a serious problem, but you certainly will not deal with this question— (Time expired)