Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a day when we celebrate the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, there is an issue of fundamental democratic accountability before the Australian parliament. A government that has spent much time and negative energy hectoring and lecturing to the Australian community on the evils of people-smuggling is now accused of itself participating in or aiding people-trafficking. Allegations made by the Indonesian crew and asylum seekers of a boat recently turned back to Indonesia that the crew were paid around $38,000 in cash to do so by Australian Customs officers have been denied by three cabinet ministers. Yet the allegations have not been denied by the Prime Minister, despite repeated questioning by the media. The Prime Minister has said the government will stop the boats 'by hook or by crook'. Facilitating people-trafficking presumably falls into the 'crook' category.

This is an extremely important matter that cannot be dismissed with this government's usual secretive blather about on-water operations. If the allegations are not true, the government needs to say so. If the allegations are true, they expose potentially serious criminal activity sanctioned at the highest level, warranting an independent investigation and potential criminal charges.

Indonesia is now investigating the allegations. The head of the UN refugee agency has said that any action that rewards criminal behaviour is unacceptable, while refugee lawyer David Manne has pointed out that turning people back who may be in need of protection would also be a flagrant violation of the refugee convention. It is time now for the government to actually reveal what has taken place. Eight hundred years of the rule of law has to mean something.