George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, the best way to protect these people is to ensure the problem is solved, and we have solved it. Let me take you back, Senator Hanson-Young, to where we were 2½ years ago when the coalition government was elected. We had gone through a period during which more than 1,200 lives were lost at sea, in which the number of children in detention peaked at 1,992. And now, as result of the policies of this government, not a single life has been lost at sea, and the number of children in detention has gone from 1,992 to 90. How can you sit there, Senator Hanson-Young, with a straight face and suggest that that is not an extraordinary improvement?