Bill Shorten draws applause with one-word answer on asylum seekers

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has drawn strong applause with a one-word answer when he was asked about asylum seekers on ABC program Q&A.

A man in the audience in the Sydney suburb of Penrith, where the show was broadcast live from last night, asked Mr Shorten whether he would repeal border protection legislation which has the “potential to keep the truth from our citizens”.

“I don’t want to see the people smugglers back in business, before the Libs run their attack ads,” Mr Shorten said.

“If I was prime minister, it would have to be an amazing set of circumstances where we’re not prepared to tell you what’s going on”.

Host Tony Jones then asked if Mr Shorten would allow journalists to access Manus Island and Nauru to report on the condition of detained refugees, if Labor was elected to government.

“Yeah,” Mr Shorten answered, to strong applause.

“Yeah.”

In 2015, the Liberal government passed legislation severely restricting media access to detained refugees.