Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence, Senator Faulkner. Given the minister’s obsession with transparency and public accountability and given that it is now five months since the explosion on Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel 36, when will the government release the footage of the incident that has been sitting in Defence headquarters for the past five months?

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ferguson for his question and I certainly note that there has been some press comment about this issue in the last few days drawing comparisons between my position on SIEV X and my handling of this matter, SIEV 36. Let me be very clear about my approach on this matter. It is an approach, I want to say to the Senate, that has been informed by the experiences of the ‘children overboard’ issue. On this matter I have not, and I will not, cut corners.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order on both sides! Senator Faulkner is entitled to be heard in silence on both sides.

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have not, and I can assure the Senate that I will not, put a short-term political fix or my own personal interests above the critical importance of ensuring proper legal processes. That approach, I can say, is in fact the lesson of ‘children overboard’.

The facts of this matter are these. I have made clear that at the earliest possible opportunity I will direct the release of the Defence report and the complete photographic and video record of this incident, and I reiterate that commitment in the Senate chamber today. It has not been appropriate for this material to be released before now. In April Defence explicitly agreed with the Northern Territory authorities that it would not release any imagery of the SIEV 36 incident without the consent of the Northern Territory Police— (Time expired)

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Minister, given the conflicting reports about the length of time taken to rescue survivors of this event, will the minister take this opportunity to inform the Senate of the facts?

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ferguson for the supplementary question. Mr President, with the agreement of the Northern Territory Police, who consulted with the coroner, 24 still images of the incident were released. The Northern Territory Police told Defence in April that any images clearly depicting people yet to be formally identified, or unidentified objects in the water immediately following the explosion, were not approved for release given the police investigation.

This week, however, on my instruction, the Chief of the Defence Force contacted the NT coroner to seek his advice on a time frame for when additional material may be released without compromising the coroner’s processes. In response, the coroner— (Time expired)

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. My first supplementary question was not about the release of footage. I ask again: given the conflicting reports about the length of time that was taken to rescue survivors, will the minister inform the Senate of the true facts?

Opposition Senator:

Make a statement.

John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, I am in the process of doing so. What I will do, because of the constraints placed by you, Senator Ferguson, on answers by ministers to important questions like the one that you have just asked, is ensure that, after question time, I take the opportunity to fully report to the Senate on this matter. I want to inform the Senate that, in response to CDF’s contact, the coroner advised that, although a decision on the release of the material was a matter for defence, his preference was that the material not be released before the start of the inquest. I then sought legal advice on this issue. I will, after question time, report to the Senate on the advice I have received today.

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

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.