Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Evans. Will the minister outline to the Senate precisely what was offered to the suspected asylum seekers on the Oceanic Viking in order to induce some of them to disembark in Indonesia on Friday and table any letter of offer?

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

I thank Senator Cash for the question. Firstly, I advise her that the people on the boat are not suspected asylum seekers; they have all sought asylum. They sought asylum when they boarded the Oceanic Viking after the rescue at sea. As the senator would know, we assisted the Indonesians by rescuing the asylum seekers in the Indonesian search and rescue zone, and under international law we transported them to Indonesia. There have been no inducements offered to persons to disembark from the Oceanic Viking. As part of the agreement between Indonesian officials and Australian officials, there was a process agreed to determine the means by which we would disembark the passengers once they agreed to disembark. We made it clear that they would not be disembarking in Australia, as was their wish, but that they would be disembarking in Indonesia. The agreement with the Indonesian government provided for their disembarkation, their assessment by the UNHCR as to their refugee status and agreements around the time frames and conditions which would be applied to those persons. Those arrangements were codified in a document that was provided to the people on the boat.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Table it.

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

In fact, Senator Abetz, that document was released publicly days ago. You may not have caught up with it, but it was released days ago. Senator Cash, I am happy to see if I can get you a copy of the document, but the document has been public for some days. That sets out the conditions which would be applied to those who disembarked from the Oceanic Viking as a result of the agreement between the Indonesian and Australian governments.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister advise what the average processing time is for asylum seekers in Indonesia awaiting resettlement to countries such as Australia? Can the minister confirm that it is usually much longer than the four weeks promised?

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

I can advise that the time frames for resettlement out of Indonesia depend on individual circumstances and the time in which the UNHCR has made assessment, but it is true that this government, like the previous government, has sought to assist the Indonesian authorities with quicker settlement of persons out of Indonesia. Under the previous Howard government, in the order of 500 persons were resettled out of Indonesia. What we agreed with the Indonesian government in recent times, as part of the negotiations between the Prime Minister and the Indonesian president, was that we would assist them to improve the processing time for those found to be refugees in Indonesia. That work has started, and we have resettled more people this year as a result of that. We continue to try and assist Indonesia with resettlement. (Time expired)

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Is the minister aware that Sri Lanka’s permanent representative to the UN has stated that he does not think the Sri Lankan citizens on the Oceanic Viking are refugees ‘unless you use that expression in a rather loose manner’? Given this, does the Rudd government intend to continue its policy of offering bribes to the vast majority of those who have refused to leave the Oceanic Viking?

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

I remind the senator that decisions about whether someone is a refugee or not are determined under the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees by appropriate authorities. Inside Indonesia that appropriate authority is the UNHCR. They will make the assessment as to whether these people are refugees. I will not be making it, you will not be making it and the Sri Lankan representative to the United Nations will not be making it. You may well have a bias or a view, but it is not one based on knowledge. Those persons will be processed according to the same rules that applied under the Howard government and that apply internationally, and the arrangements in Indonesia are processed by the UNHCR. They will make the decision as to whether those persons coming off the ship are refugees or not and in the same way we do, which is why when we found people not to be refugees we returned them, as we did on the weekend, where we returned another six people to Sri Lanka after they were found not to be refugees. (Time expired)