Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have to say, what we saw today in question time was an alarming and pathetic performance by this government in relation to what is a very serious community safety issue. For the Labor Party, for this government, to try to fob this off by saying that the same laws are in place as when we were in government, that it was a decision of the High Court that's overruled the existing process, and to try to convince the Australian people that there's nothing to see here—which is effectively what they're doing—and then to try to divert the blame for their complete inaction on this matter to the coalition is offensive; it's disgraceful. They stand and say, 'We're working; we're using all our efforts to work with the authorities; we're doing everything we can to keep Australians safe.' We asked them a simple question, one simple question—how many people have reoffended?—and they can't answer the question. So how do we believe anything they've said with respect to their efforts in relation to dealing with this matter, with respect to their attention to this matter, when they can't answer the simple questions of how many people have reoffended and how many people have been arrested?

The throwaway line from the minister at the table is, 'Just google it.' I mean, what utter disrespect for this chamber, for this parliament and for the Australian people when the minister says, 'Just google it'—that's her response. This government is responsible for coordinating this process. This government is responsible for managing the oversight. The minister says, 'We are doing everything we can, working with the authorities, to make sure that these people are being monitored.' Yet what does the community see as a result of this? Offence after offence after offence. And the minister cannot even tell this chamber how many offenders there have been. I mean, what a disgrace, what an utter disgrace.

The simplest of questions that we ask for an answer to, and all we get is deflection: 'It's all the opposition's fault. It's all someone else's fault. You're trying to create something that's not here.' Yet all we're doing is asking simple questions, and the minister tells us, 'Just google it.' How outrageous that that's the answer—no attempt, no 'I'll take it on notice,' which would have been the best answer if the minister didn't have the number, and she should have had the number. As I said, this government is responsible for coordinating this whole process. It's not a matter that the states have to look after. Yes, the state police forces are doing some work. But then the minister comes in here and says, 'We're doing everything we can do to monitor; we're doing everything we can to work with the authorities,' but doesn't know the simplest of details: how many people have reoffended and how many people have been rearrested.

And when it comes to issuing orders to deal with the people who are reoffending, how many orders have been issued? Zero. Zip. Nada. Not one. So how does the Australian community have any confidence in what this government is doing? We ask a simple question, and what do we get? The Sergeant Schultz response: 'I know nothing.' It's an absolute disgrace, and it's shameful. The government makes all these claims about how hard they're working, how they're beavering away working closely with authorities, but we come into the chamber and ask some very simple questions and they treat the chamber with complete disrespect: 'Just google it.' The government needs to do better in responding to the questions of this chamber.