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

Senator Hanson-Young, as Minister Dutton announced yesterday, 'Baby Asha' has now been transferred to community detention, following advice that her medical treatment has concluded. The Australian government's approach to cases of this kind has not changed. It has always been the approach of the Australian government, under both sides of politics, I might say, not to return to offshore processing facilities individuals, whether infants, children or adults, where there are medical reasons not to do so. That policy has not changed. Each decision is made on a case-by-case basis. In the case of the patient known as Baby Asha, that infant was assessed to be not suitable for return to an offshore processing facility.

Senator Hanson-Young, the policies which the government have adopted—in which we are now supported by the opposition, I might say—are policies that have seen the cessation of the flow of men, women, children and infants to Australia through people-smuggling routes. Senator Hanson-Young, under the policies of the previous government, which you supported, the number of children in detention peaked at 1,992—1,992 children in detention, at the same time, in the middle of 2013. In those six years, more than 8,000 children passed through the detention system. Today, as a result of the successful policies of the government and as a result of the work of my colleague Peter Dutton, there are now 73 children in the detention system, and that number is reducing all the time.