Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I wish to correct an answer I gave in the House during question time on Thursday 28 May 2015 in response to a question from the member for Isaacs. In my answer I said that a letter from Mr Man Monis to the Attorney-General dated 7 October 2014 and the Attorney-General's Department's subsequent reply of 5 November 2014:

… were both placed before the inquiry into the Martin Place siege, conducted by the secretaries of the Prime Minister's and the New South Wales Premier's departments.

My statement was based on the evidence given by the deputy secretary of the Attorney-General's Department, Ms Katherine Jones, in budget estimates the previous day, Wednesday 27 May 2015. The Attorney-General's Department has now advised that Ms Jones's evidence was incorrect and that the letter and reply were not provided to the review due to an administrative error in the Attorney-General's Department. Ms Jones has written to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee to correct her evidence. I am advised that both letters have now been referred to officials at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet who were responsible for the Sydney siege review.

The secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Mr Michael Thawley, has written to the Prime Minister today to inform him that the letter and response would have made no difference to the outcome of the review. I table the letter to the Prime Minister dated 4 June 2015. I note that Mr Monis's letter and the response were provided to the coronial inquest into the tragedy. When advised of the error, the Attorney-General asked the secretary of his department, Mr Chris Moraitis, to conduct a comprehensive review into the matter to enable Ms Jones and ministers who were relying on her evidence to correct the record. I should also reiterate that the director-general of ASIO, Mr Duncan Lewis, provided evidence to Senate estimates on Thursday 28th of May 2015 that the handling of the letter by the Attorney-General's office and the subsequent reply by the Attorney-General's office was appropriate.

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