Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, thank you for that multidimensional answer! I responded to the honourable member’s question, which went to internal government processes in response to push factors around the world over a period of time, when they are established, and therefore their response to given developments over time. The content of my answer was that, since the government have been in for two years, we have had a range of internal mechanisms within the government that serve cabinet committees, that are internal to the bureaucracy, as you would expect, and that deal with a multiplicity of these challenges which come from time to time. That is the normal business of government. Part of the response, of course, which has been developed by officials, is what we should do over time to enhance our cooperation with the UNHCR and the IOM.

I was simply drawing the honourable member for Murray’s attention to the fact that, less than a month ago, in response to the question: ‘So you’re alleging corruption within the UNHCR?’ she said on the record, ‘Yes, I’m saying to you it’s a well-known fact that in some UNHCR offices there is bribery and corruption.’ Can I just say, if you are seeking to represent an alternative government of Australia and you are seeking to deal with international agencies cooperatively, that is probably not the best first thing to say. If you want to get on with them and you go out there and say, ‘You’re just all corrupt,’ I think that is not actually a good way to go.

Our response deals with the global factors which go to the push factors, the transit countries and, of course, countries of ultimate destination, and in dealing with this we are also dealing with the international agencies who are working with all of these countries on a continuing basis. The critical one is the UNHCR. When it comes to that which the member for Berowra dare not speak of—alternative policy—I simply pose the question to those opposite: how can you have an alternative policy if you think one of the principal agencies is corrupt and therefore cannot be worked with?

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