Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Lundy. I refer the minister to her response in question time yesterday to a question asked by me, where she stated:

The combination of an increased refugee intake from offshore and no advantage for those who arrive by boat removes the attractiveness of attempting the expensive and dangerous boat journey to Australia.

Given that in the month following the government's embarrassing backflip on offshore processing 42 boats have now arrived carrying 2,543 people, how does the minister justify that Labor's partial solution has any effect at all on reducing the numbers of asylum seekers attempting the risky boat journey to Australia?