Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Reynolds. Minister, I refer you to comments of Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Marape, who said he would like to see offshore detention ended there 'as soon as possible' and that he has requested your government to provide a timetable—

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I'd like to hear the question. Order on both sides of the chamber, left and right. Order! Senator McKim, please continue.

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Prime Minister Marape has requested your government to provide a timetable for ending offshore detention on Manus Island. What commitments have your government given to PNG's government about the future of offshore detention, and have you agreed to provide a timetable as requested by Mr Marape? Minister, after six long years, when will your political prisoners on Manus Island and Nauru finally be given the freedom and safety they need and deserve?

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator McKim, for that question. As I said to Senator Keneally, you also keep perpetuating a complete falsehood. There is nobody detained on Manus Island. There is no detention centre there. I'd also note, Senator McKim, that you were not detained in Papua New Guinea either in your most recent visit. Senator McKim, the very short answer is that there is nobody in detention in Manus Island. As I said to Senator Keneally, we had a very productive meeting today. Senator Cormann was there. Senator Payne was there. We had very cordial discussions with the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister and ministers on the way forward, including on Manus Island. Again, I've got nothing further to add, because what you said is a complete falsehood.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator McKim on a point of order?

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has just said she has nothing further to add, but a specific question I asked her was whether or not the Australian government has provided a timetable as requested by Mr Marape. I ask you to direct the minister to the question.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKim, you know full well I cannot direct a minister to answer part of a question. You yourself said it was a question amongst the question you asked. The minister is being directly relevant.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just to be very clear: I completely reject the whole premise of your question because there is nobody in detention on Manus Island. In fact, you mentioned the six years, and who started those six years? Who was it who actually put people in detention there in the first place? That was those opposite. Labor and the Greens. We have worked tirelessly for six years because, remember, under all of you opposite, 50,000 people came by boat and 1,200 people that we know of died a horrific death. So that was not us. We have worked tirelessly internationally and in cooperation with the PNG government to fix the shameful mess that you left. We are very proud of our record and what we have done in that—

Senator Cormann interjecting—

Minister Cormann reminds me that, in fact, the Prime Minister today, when talking about Manus, was noting how peaceful and beautiful Manus Island is and, in fact, would welcome tourists and others to come and visit Manus and to see for themselves. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKim, a supplementary question?

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, both you here today and the Prime Minister have claimed that the people exiled to Manus Island six years ago are not in detention. If there are no detention centres, as you and the Prime Minister claim, what was that place with guards on the gate, with razor wire on the fences, that people are locked up in each and every night that I was denied entry to last week and, ultimately deported from Papua New Guinea for asking permission to enter? What exactly was that place?

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKim, no matter how much you scream in this place, no matter how disgracefully you act as a senator of this place in another country as a guest of another country, you cannot change the fact that there are no people in detention there on Manus Island. You have clearly learnt nothing over the last six years about the consequences of your policies. We have spent six years working with the Papua New Guinea government—and, again, that was reinforced today—to clean up your mess. Again I will say: there is nobody in detention on Manus Island. No matter how badly you behave in someone else's country, as a guest of their country, that does not change the facts as they sit. I've gone through this several times today in this chamber.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKim, a final supplementary question.

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I categorically reject that I behaved in any way badly while I was on Papua New Guinea. I simply politely asked to enter that prison.

I note the comments of New Zealand Prime Minister Ardern, who has again reiterated her generous and kind offer to accept 150 people per year from Manus Island and Nauru. Minister, how can your government continue to reject that offer and deny desperate people the freedom and safety that they need and deserve?

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator McKim. Again, I would say I completely reject the whole premise of your question. Nobody is in detention in Papua New Guinea. The government of Papua New Guinea determines who can enter the East Lorengau Transit Centre and respective entry requirements. If they denied you entry, that is a matter for the Papua New Guinean government. And they put out a press release to—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Reynolds. I've got Senator McKim on a point of order.

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Perhaps the minister didn't hear my final supplementary. It specifically asked about the offer from New Zealand and this government's rejection of that offer, but she is yet to approach that topic.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKim, you did have a preamble to that question. I consider that to be part of the question and the minister is entitled to address that and be directly relevant.

Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr President. Again, this is a matter for the government of Papua New Guinea. You went, Senator McKim, to a friendly nation, a country with which we have very deep connections, and they denied you entry to a facility that is in their control, so it is an issue for them. I've got to say, reading a little about your conduct, I'm a little ashamed that somebody in this chamber went to a friend's country, a neighbour's country, and acted in the way that you did, Senator McKim. That is something for your conscience, but, again, it's not something that this government or anybody else, I would hope, in this chamber would support. (Time expired)