Senator LUDWIG (Queensland—Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Manager of Government Business in the Senate and Minister Assisting the Attorney-General on Queensland Floods Recovery) (14:28): I thank Senator Hanson-Young for that question. Australia has strong people-smuggling offences that apply to crew of people-smuggling vessels. Arrangements for people-smuggling prosecutions are no different from those for other types of Commonwealth offences. Under our constitutional arrangements, almost all federal offences are tried in state and territory courts and those convicted are sent to prisons in the state or territory in which they are prosecuted. The number of people charged with people-smuggling offences in Australia is a very small proportion of the total number of federal offenders dealt with in state and territory systems and of the people being tried in state and territory courts generally and held in state and territory prisons. Overall, if you look at the comparison, people serving sentences for maritime people smuggling comprise approximately 0.9 per cent— Senator Hanson-Young: On a point of order, Mr President: the question was clearly whether the government could confirm whether the Indonesian consulate are investigating 40 cases where we are detaining, jailing, children and minors in Australian adult jails. That is the question to the minister. The PRESIDENT: There is no point of order. The minister has 57 seconds remaining in which to answer the question. Senator LUDWIG: In dealing with this, it is, of course, always difficult around age determination, but can I then add that law enforcement authorities investigate all persons suspected of being involved in people smuggling, including minors, and where there is doubt about whether a person arriving in Australia as an irregular maritime arrival is aged over or under 18 years of age and where that person is suspected of committing a Commonwealth offence the Australian Federal Police conducts an age determination process in accordance with the Crimes Act. This is done with the consent of the persons involved. For dealing with minors the government has announced improved processes to provide more certainty in determining the age of individuals detained in Australia suspected of people smuggling. But it is important to keep in mind that the Commonwealth works with the various state and territory governments in ensuring, where the people who are detained and who are convicted of offences are sent to prisons in those states and territories and they are prosecuted— (Time expired)