Helen Coonan (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bob Brown for his query. Since he raised this with me just prior to question time I did follow it up as quickly as I could to get a copy of Senator Brown’s letter, which I now have. I have asked the department to follow up with the United States on Senator Brown’s request to facilitate a visit, and I will continue to do that and get back to Senator Brown. But, quite clearly, should Senator Brown be able to visit Guantanamo, he would no doubt wish to meet, speak with or at least have some information concerning Mr Hicks. It would be, I think, helpful if I just place on record the current information that I have about Mr Hicks and about that issue.

The United States has consistently said that Guantanamo Bay detainees are being treated in a manner consistent with the principles of the Geneva convention. Australian officials have made and continue to make regular visits to Guantanamo Bay to assess Mr Hicks’s welfare. The most recent visit, by our consul general in Washington, was on 27 September, and no evidence of abuse or maltreatment has been found. The consul general has confirmed that Mr Hicks is being held in the general block area of a newly completed facility in a single occupancy cell but not in solitary confinement.

The conditions in Guantanamo Bay are equivalent, on my advice, to a maximum security facility in the United States. Cells in the general block area have a window providing natural light, a sink and toilet facilities. Mr Hicks has daily exercise in a group area. He is able to communicate with detainees and receives mail from his family including letters, magazines, books and postcards. At the insistence of the Australian government, for Senator Brown’s information, there have been two thorough investigations into allegations of abuse involving Australian detainees at Guantanamo. The most recent report, by the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service, was independent and, on my advice, exhaustive. It addressed all allegations of physical abuse that had been raised previously by Mr Hicks. The report concluded there was no evidence to substantiate those allegations.

In terms of my general response to Senator Brown’s request, issues involving broader Guantanamo Bay policy, including who visits, are of course a matter for the United States government. The Australian government has very much focused its efforts on Australian nationals detained in Guantanamo Bay—in particular, their welfare. So, in response to Senator Brown’s question, I will continue to follow up with the department at least the request to the United States to facilitate a visit.