Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Carr. Giving the increasingly conflicting statements by the Australian Federal Police, immigration department officials on Christmas Island and Mr Bowen, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, as to the status of those asylum seekers who forcibly broke out of detention during the recent week of protests on Christmas Island, can the minister definitively advise how many of those asylum seekers remain at large and roaming the island?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Cash for her question. I watched with interest as Senator Brandis took the question to you and I saw you rehearsing it for some time. So I have had some opportunity to consider my answer!

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

Address the question, Senator Carr.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

When there is silence, we will proceed.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The recent protest activity at the Christmas Island detention centre is, I am advised, under control and is being jointly managed by the AFP, the immigration department and Serco, the department’s detention service providers. Over the weekend, the AFP deployed 70 officers to Christmas Island to support those already present on the island, taking the total number of AFP officers to 188.

Senator Cash asked about the number of people at large. My advice was that a small number of people had not been returned to the centre. However, just before question time I heard the briefing, as you did, by officers on Christmas Island indicating that all personnel had in fact been returned to the centre. I can get further information for you but it is my understanding, based on what has been explained to me, that there had been a small number of people not in detention. Shortly before we came into this chamber, however, a briefing was provided indicating that all personnel had now been returned to the centre.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I refer to Minister Bowen’s statement on Thursday, 17 March 2011, following a night of rioting by some asylum seekers on Christmas Island, when he stated:

… the situation on Christmas Island … is calm.

Given the nature of the violent protests, which included the use of tear gas and beanbag rounds, mass break-outs, fires, rock throwing and protests, is this what the Gillard government defines as a situation that is ‘calm and under control’?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

From time to time one is somewhat surprised by the nature of questions in this chamber, and this happens to be one of those occasions. Is the senator seriously suggesting that anyone in this chamber would do anything other than condemn the violence by personnel on Christmas Island—the attempts to inflict violence on officers of the Commonwealth? And would anyone seriously suggest that anybody in this chamber would do anything other than say that that is totally inappropriate? For any question to propose anything to the contrary is, I would say, to insult the intelligence of every senator in this chamber.

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I refer to the minister’s statement on Friday, 18 March 2011:

At no stage during the week have I underplayed the seriousness of this situation.

Will the minister concede that this situation has now become much more serious than the government was willing to concede? Is not the overcrowding on Christmas Island which gave rise to the serious disturbance the inevitable result of the government’s failed border protection policies?

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do not think it can be seriously argued that the minister has been anything other than very frank and open with the Australian people about the nature of the circumstances in Australian detention centres. My reading of the minister’s statements is that they have been very frank about the difficulties faced as a result of the increasing numbers of people placed in detention. Under no circumstances would one suggest either that the government condones this action or that it will be doing anything other than treating these issues with the utmost seriousness. The minister has indicated that criminal charges could certainly be laid by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions as part of any AFP investigation into the recent events on Christmas Island. How could you say anything other than that shows how seriously the minister has regarded this issue? The minister has said that he will consider, on a case-by-case basis— (Time expired)