Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Road Safety) Share this | Hansard source

Minister, with the greatest of respect, I know you're repping for the portfolio at the moment, but I think it's integral that we have a little bit of a history lesson for your good self so you can find out exactly what happened with the Sage Sagittarius and Captain Salas. I was the chair of the committee through the whole inquiry. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Senator Barry O'Sullivan when that evidence came out from border security. You don't have to apologise to me, Senator Keneally, about the language because I've worked closely with Barry O'Sullivan and I dearly miss Senator O'Sullivan.

But on that: what we do know is that the Sage Sagittarius is a Japanese owned vessel. We do know—and, forgive me, I can't give the dates because there's a bit going on up here in my brain cells at the moment—Minister Cash, that coming into Newcastle I think it was, one of the sailors on board the ship mysteriously fell overboard. He was missing when it came into port. So one had gone overboard on the way in and then just hours outside Newcastle or wherever it was, one fell down into the hull and was killed. So we had one sailor missing and one killed.

When it got to port, the Japanese owners—and this is all on the record—actually put an undercover detective from Japan onto the Sage Sagittarius before it sailed from our waters. This undercover detective mysteriously fell into the conveyor belt when the ship berthed in Japan to unload. So we have two deaths, as Senator Rice would remember—and as would those of us who were involved in this—and we have one missing overboard. Minister, with the of greatest respect—I'm not blaming you—but your colleague Minister Dutton know exactly every little detail around this sordid issue in our maritime history. Minister Dutton, his officers and advisers at the time know every single, miserable, sordid detail about this death ship.

I'm not pointing to the officers—the crew in the box—with you; I'm going back to Minister Dutton. I'm saying that there are so many mistruths and things which have not been owned up to. You're the poor devil who's carrying the can to get the legislation through. It's a shame that Minister Dutton doesn't reside in this house, because I'd love to see him turn the same colour as the walls in here when the truths are put to him—to see if he could wriggle out of them. I stand by every word I say in this chamber.

Also—and this is a very important part, Minister, which I feel so sorry for you for because your colleague has led you down a dead-end street here—we have to understand that Captain Salas was of interest. As Senator Keneally stated clearly, and as did Senator Sheldon, Captain Salas clearly owned up to gun running and alcohol running. There's no issue about that. Captain Salas sailed off into the sunset, and I know that when the New South Wales coroner's report was on, when they were actually in the courtroom—and, Minister Cash, you've been in courtrooms more than I have; probably me as the witness and you as the prosecutor. I'm saying that because I've always stood up for truckies, I don't care what happens! Where was I? Oh, yes: they couldn't lay charges on Captain Salas because nobody knew where Captain Salas was, except one person. The Australian Federal Police didn't know where Captain Salas was. The New South Wales police didn't know where Captain Salas was. Border protection and immigration didn't know where Captain Salas was. I don't know if they even asked ASIO—I have no idea! I'm saying who I know who didn't know. But there was one very, very sharp, intelligent person, a man by the name of Owen Jacques. He was a reporter for one of the News Corp rags on the Sunshine Coast. Owen rang me here in this building to tell me that he was in the New South Wales courtroom, listening to proceedings. They went to smoko on the proviso that they probably wouldn't come back because they couldn't find Captain Salas.

Owen Jacques went up to the prosecutor in New South Wales and said: 'Guess what, cobber, I know where he is! He's coming into Gladstone tomorrow.' I can't remember the name of the ship; Senator Keneally named it earlier. Captain Salas was coming—can you believe this stuff? You can't write a Hollywood series that goes this badly. He's sailing in, and it's not his first trip—he had come on other ones. But Owen Jacques had the register. It wasn't spooksville: it wasn't stolen from the headquarters up on Russell Street with ASIO. He had it off the internet. Here comes Captain Salas—oh! All of a sudden the place went into a whiz and they got Captain Salas. There you go.

So, Minister, while the advisers can only work on what they're being told, I think someone needs to take a back step really quickly and get back to the chameleon—and I'm not going to apologise for this, unless you pull me up—being Minister Dutton, who has managed to wriggle out of all responsibility here. They knew every single thing that went on exactly. I think there needs to be some real soul searching if you're going to be providing—not to the decent advisers in the box. You poor devils. You only got what you got from Dutton's office previously setting everyone up here. Be very careful what you say. Be very careful how you answer these questions. They're in Hansard. There are a lot of people who are going to follow this up. On saying that, I hope that has painted a far better picture for you, Minister. I can tell you now, when you have the information 24 hours, or if you're lucky 48 hours, offshore, when a captain sends an email to whoever it is to say, 'These are the people I've got on board'—it's actually the shipper that's supposed to be doing it but he's got to get it from somewhere—I can categorically guarantee that all the faces on the passports will match the face of the character that's holding the passport given. That's not a problem. The name will be the same. It will probably have something else that says that's who he or she is. I've got a couple of questions here. When that email comes through to the powers to be to say that we're doing our background checks, just walk me through what happens when whoever it is gets that list to say they can come in. Help me out there, Minister.