Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for her question. I know she has a keen interest in these issues. I acknowledge there are calls for a royal commission into immigration detention. I have to indicate that I am not inclined to support those calls. As the Labor opposition, we were supportive of a royal commission prior to the Palmer and Comrie reports which followed the revelations about the terrible mistreatment of Cornelia Rau and Vivian Solon. As a direct result of those very serious reports, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship has reviewed its detention processes, introduced wide-ranging reforms and implemented changes that have vastly improved its performance in these areas. There is increased departmental representation and oversight of detention facilites, vastly improved detention health services—which were a real weakness—and new forms of detention accommodation, and there is a new service delivery model. But I understand the concern that exists about whether these changes go far enough. As part of reassuring myself about that, I have appointed Ms Elizabeth Proust to undertake an independent evaluation of the department’s progress in implementing the Palmer and Comrie reports to assess whether it has done what was recommended and done that fully. Her evaluation is currently underway, and I expect her report to be with me by the end of October 2008.

I acknowledge that the previous government did make some reforms in 2005. I think that did improve the situation, but it was not fundamental reform. On coming to office in November last year, this government has, if you like, assumed the responsibility for root and branch reform of immigration practice. I am not convinced that a royal commission, given the cost and the diversion of resources, would be the best way forward. I want to focus on going forward, not on analysing what happened before. As minister, I take responsibility for that reform agenda, and I think we have demonstrated our commitment to that reform agenda. We immediately ended the former Howard government’s discredited Pacific solution, we have recently abolished temporary protection visas and we acted quickly to resolve the legacy cases such as ensuring compensation for Cornelia Rau. In conjunction with the Commonwealth Ombudsman, I personally reviewed all the long-term detention caseloads involving people who had been in detention for more than two years.