Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

I move an amendment to the motion:

That the following words be inserted after point (g) after the word 'and':

(h) the reasons for and nature of riots and disturbances in detention facilities;

(i) the performance and management of Commonwealth agencies and/or their agents or contractors in discharging their responsibilities associated with the detention and processing of irregular maritime arrivals or other persons;

(j) the health, safety and wellbeing of employees of Commonwealth agencies and/or their agents or contractors in performing their duties relating to irregular maritime arrivals or other persons detained in the network;

(k) the level, adequacy and effectiveness of reporting incidents and the response to incidents within the immigration detention network, including relevant policies, procedures, authorities and protocols;

(l) compliance with the Government's immigration detention values within the detention network;

(m) any issues relating to interaction with States and Territories regarding the detention and processing of irregular maritime arrivals or other persons;

(n) the management of good order and public order with respect to the immigration detention network;

(o) the total costs of managing and maintaining the immigration detention network and processing irregular maritime arrivals or other detainees;

(p) the expansion of the immigration detention network, including the cost and process adopted to establish new facilities;

(q) the length of time detainees have been held in the detention network, the reasons for their length of stay and the impact on the detention network;

(r) processes for assessment of protection claims made by irregular maritime arrivals and other persons and the impact on the detention network; and,

And insert the words at point 6 after the word 'elect', the words 'a Government chair'.

We seek this further amendment to the motion to ensure that it includes the full breadth of all the matters that need to be addressed as part of this very important inquiry, an inquiry that just a week or so ago the minister liked to call a stunt but I understand today will now support. I appreciate the support of the crossbenchers and I appreciate the support of the Greens in the productive discussions we have had, because this is a detention system in which there is an average of more than three critical incidents occurring in a detention network every single day. I think it is important that this House has not sought to muzzle those who want to ask questions about this matter. I know the crossbenchers want to ask questions, I know the Greens want to ask serious questions and the opposition certainly wants to ask serious questions. I look forward to this motion also being supported in the other place, which will enable these matters to be addressed by both houses of this parliament in what has become a rolling crisis in our detention network under this government.

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