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

My question is directed to Senator Vanstone, the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. I again refer her to the Ombudsman’s report of yesterday where it reveals that officers of her department knew as far back as September 2002 that Australian citizens, including Australian children with mental health issues, had been detained. Doesn’t this mean that the department knew that Australian citizens had been held in detention long before the media discovered the Rau and Alvarez scandals in 2005? Does the minister stand by her previous claims that this information was not passed up the line and that neither she, nor her predecessor, Mr Ruddock, nor senior departmental officials were ever told about what was going on? Are we to seriously believe that neither the minister nor senior departmental officials got told that Australian citizens, including children, were locked up in detention, despite emails circulating in the department to that effect? Will anyone in the government take responsibility for these appalling cases?

Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his question. The senator gives me the opportunity, in directly answering his question, to also answer a question that Senator Kirk put, because it is the same question.

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No—come off it!

Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faulkner interjects ‘no’, but in fact it is the same question. So, if he is instructing me not to answer your question and you want me to take his instruction, that is fine—

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The President shouldn’t allow you to answer another question—you should answer the question that has been asked!

Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, with respect, I have been trying to answer the question but—

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faulkner interjecting—

Paul Calvert (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Faulkner!

Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question put by Senator Evans related to when people first knew, and I think that is the point that Senator Kirk was asking about. It is the one point that I did not address, so I now seek to do the two together. My understanding, to the best of my knowledge and belief, is that this case came to light publicly for one simple reason: that is, an Australian government minister said, ‘There might be more. You better go back and look.’ That is the only reason, to the best of my knowledge, belief and understanding, that Mr G came to light. It is because in good government instead of legislating away your errors you go and look for them, you own up to them and you fix them.

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

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I am amazed that the minister takes credit for this scandal, given that it was only as a result of media reports that it was ever uncovered. Does the minister seriously believe that saying that the department have changed and that they were paying monetary compensation to victims is a sufficient response to the terrible injustices revealed and the chronic problems that obviously existed? Rather than arrogantly dismissing the scandals, will the minister and Mr Ruddock finally accept their ministerial responsibility for what occurred on their watch?

Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his supplementary question. The senator asks me if it is satisfactory to say compensation has been paid. If proper compensation has been paid, yes; if you try to use this parliament to in fact pay a dollar a day because of a mistake that you have made on a technicality, no. So compensation is not always an appropriate and adequate response. My own view is if you limit it to a dollar a day you are not being fair. But if you say a mistake has been made and if appropriate compensation is paid, sometimes that is the best that can be done: someone can be compensated for what has happened. The government’s job is to fix errors, not to legislate them away and hide them, Senator Evans, which is what happened when you were last in a party that was in government.