QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for the Arts, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Cyber Security, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and Leader of the House) (14:12): I am glad that the Leader of the Opposition has raised this so I am able to deal with it directly and personally after some of the claims that were made by Senator Paterson in Senate estimates yesterday.

Everything that was just described as 'assistance' by the Leader of the Opposition would have been an offence for the government to not do. Under the Citizenship Act, once someone applies, there is an obligation to make a decision according to law. Under the laws governing passports, if someone is eligible for a passport and applies to one of our embassies, there is an obligation for them to be provided with one.

These individuals received what they were entitled to by law—no more and no less. What is hidden behind what the Leader of the Opposition is saying right there is that she is suggesting—and maybe this is part of them being the party of robodebt—that one of the options in front of the government was to not obey Australian law. Australian law has been followed, no more and no less.

A small number of these individuals have returned to Australia. A much larger number of them returned under those opposite. Those who returned under those opposite, to give a complete comparison with the example just provided by the Leader of the Opposition— The SPEAKER: The Leader of the House will just pause.

Ms Ley interjecting— The SPEAKER: I haven't called you yet. We are just going to deal with this. I was listening to the Leader of the House carefully.

I assume your point of order is going to be on relevance. He was doing a comparison regarding what he was asked about, which he is entitled to do under the standing orders. He's answered directly regarding the estimates part of the question and also the assistance part of the question.

So it's going to be very difficult for the Leader of the Opposition to raise a point of order on relevance, but she can have a go. Ms Ley: It is a point of order on relevance, because this is about what the Prime Minister said, and he said that no assistance was provided— The SPEAKER: Resume your seat. The minister has directly addressed that part of the question in terms of the assistance, if you listened carefully.

Mr Hawke interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order! Manager of Opposition Business, do not debate this. You're not in a debate with me.

You may not like the answer, but this answer is being directly relevant to what the minister has been asked about. Mr Wallace interjecting— The SPEAKER: The member for Fisher can leave the chamber under 94(a). The member for Fisher then left the chamber .

The SPEAKER: We're returning the House to order, and the Leader of the House has the call. Mr BURKE: I'll give you an example of a series of people to whom no support was given, just as no support was given to this cohort. When those who had fought for ISIL were returned under the previous government, they came back and no support was given to them by the coalition.

When some of them had provided support to ISIL, no support was given to them. When some had joined other Islamic extremist groups, then, in the words of those opposite to a question they answered about those who returned under them, no support was given to them. And when people recently returned to Australia, no support was given to them.