Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I can take the Liberals to the press release that was issued today which sets out, firstly, that former New South Wales Supreme Court judge the Hon. John Clarke QC will head a judicial inquiry into the case of Dr Mohamed Haneef—something that the opposition did not do. The establishment of the Clarke inquiry is, as the press release says, an important step in ensuring public confidence in Australia’s counterterrorism measures—something again which the opposition when they were in government could not do and did not do. The Clarke inquiry will enable interested parties who want to make submissions to the inquiry to have their say, establish the facts of the matter and the case, and make appropriate recommendations—something again which the Liberals did not do. They did not establish an inquiry. They did not want to establish the facts of the matter. They did not want to have a judicial inquiry where you have someone of the standard of Mr Clarke looking into this matter. That is something that the Liberals did not do.

The Clarke inquiry will examine and report on—and I can take the opposition to the terms of reference—(a) the arrest, detention, charging, prosecution and release of Dr Haneef, the cancellation of his Australian visa and the issuing of a criminal justice stay certificate; (b) the administrative and operational procedures and arrangements of the Commonwealth and its agencies relevant to these matters—