Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans. Is it still the government’s policy for a regional processing centre to be established in East Timor for asylum seekers?

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

The government remains committed to a regional protection framework in dealing with asylum seekers. It is much more than a regional processing centre; it is about trying to ensure that we are able to manage people movement in the region for those seeking asylum. We have seen—

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Which member of zombie world came up with this one?

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

Order!

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

Mr President, I am happy to continue if I can.

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

Continue.

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

The regional framework is about ensuring that we can process asylum claims in the region in a fair and balanced manner without people seeking to use people smugglers to move to destinations where they think they will get more favourable assessment, where they think they will get fair assessment of their claims. As a result of that perception amongst asylum seekers, we have seen large numbers of people seeking asylum in Australia who could have sought asylum elsewhere in the region without needing to employ people smugglers to move on. The reality is that many people have been granted asylum in Indonesia and have been resettled, both under the previous government and under this government, as well as having been resettled in other countries, but the perception that people need to get to Australia to seek asylum has fuelled a trade in people smuggling that we seek to address through a regional protection framework. I think that is the long-term solution to people movement in our region. It is something that is getting some international support, and as part of that the government has committed to establishing a regional processing centre that would allow us to deal with those people who have sought to move on and require to be processed at a centre. (Time expired)

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Given the overwhelming opposition to a processing centre emanating from East Timor itself, how does the government expect anyone to believe that this is a feasible proposition?

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

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Mr Bowen, has been pursuing the question with the East Timorese. They have said that they are open to discussions on the issue of the regional processing centre being based in East Timor. East Timor is a democracy; people will have a range of views about such things. It will be part of the political debate in East Timor, as these issues are here in Australia. Clearly that sort of democratic discussion will occur. They have said they are open to discussions. The minister has visited East Timor and has engaged in those discussions. He is pursuing the proposal with East Timor and, on his return from East Timor, he reported on how that had gone. He also spoke with the Indonesians and other countries in the region, and he is committed to continuing to pursue the regional processing centre concept.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Is the government aware of any doubts amongst its own ranks about the likelihood of an East Timor asylum processing centre ever coming to pass? Is this impeding its progress?

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

I am not sure of the views of all the persons in our ‘ranks’, however defined, but certainly there are a range of views in Australian democracy about these matters. I must say, though, that the proposition has received very strong support from people like Malcolm Fraser and other eminent Australians and also from a whole range of international organisations that previously have been a bit wary about such propositions. They recognise that we need a regional response and that we will not be able to seriously address this issue in the longer term unless we have a regional response. The processing centre is a key element of the regional protection framework, but fundamentally it requires that people are able to seek asylum in any country in the region and to receive fair and equal treatment in having their asylum claims processed. I think there is very widespread support for that fundamental proposition.