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

Through you, Mr President—Senator McKim, I sometimes think you must live in a parallel universe. Under the previous government, there were 800 boats; under this government, there have been zero. Under the previous government, 8,000 children went through the detention centre system in Australia; today there are zero. We have put the people smugglers out of business. We have closed the 17 detention centres that had to be opened by the previous, Labor government as a result of their having absolutely and comprehensively lost control of this problem by losing control of Australia's borders. And now we are dealing with the last aspect of the legacy left to us by the Labor government, because every one of those people on Manus Island and Nauru was put there not by this government but by the Labor government. I am waiting to hear you acknowledge that fact, Senator McKim.