Last modified on Wed 16 Dec 2020 01.31 EST Two in every five asylum seekers who arrived in Australia by boat after 19 July 2013 were not sent to offshore detention. The numbers give lie to the assertions of successive federal governments. When he announced the policy, then prime minister Kevin Rudd said: âArriving in Australia by boat will no longer mean settlement in Australia.â Scott Morrisonâs term as immigration minister is famous for his soundbite delivered to boat arrivals sent offshore: âYou will never live in Australia.â The government argues its hardline deterrence policy must be absolute: there are no exceptions. But in fact exceptions are the rule. It is a rarely acknowledged fact about offshore processing but a matter of deep torment for those who were sent to Papua New Guinea and Nauru.