Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to Senator Carr, as the Minister representing the Minister for Resources and Energy. Minister, last week the Minister for Resources and Energy failed to comply with part of an order for the production of documents. At the time he said, ‘I am advised that neither the Minister for Resources and Energy nor his office is or ever has been in possession of an anthropological report by consultants to the Northern Land Council, Kim Barber, Robert Graham and Dr Brendan Corrigan, provided to the then minister, Julie Bishop, in 2007, so that document was not tabled.’ Senior resources department officials have given evidence on a number of occasions that this report provides the entire basis for the department proceeding with negotiations in payment of a particular group. Can the minister explain how this document has gone missing in the otherwise seamless transition between Minister Bishop’s handling of the issue and Minister Ferguson’s?