Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for Senator Payne, the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Will a prisoner swap between Australia and Iran, as happened last week, start a new trend of Australia negotiating with terrorists and move away from the proclaimed position of never negotiating with terrorists?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Roberts for his question. Last week, Australia was able to welcome the return of Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert to Australia after more than two years in detention in Iran. These are deeply complex and very difficult matters to deal with in any international context and they're even further complicated by the impact of a global pandemic. Australia worked for two years to secure the release of Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert. A range of diplomatic discussions and exchanges between international partners are held at times such as this to pursue those matters. I will not go into further detail on those issues, but I am very pleased to be able to say to the chamber that it is an enormous relief to have been able to welcome Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert back to this country last week. We know that Dr Moore-Gilbert was imprisoned in Iran—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Roberts, a point of order?

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I asked about the proclaimed position of never negotiating with terrorists.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Roberts, you had a preamble and the minister is being directly relevant to the question in addressing that part of the question as well. Senator Payne.

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. As I said, we never accepted the charges upon which Dr Moore-Gilbert was purported to have been detained and ultimately convicted and sentenced. In that context, we continued our negotiations. We will not go into the nature of diplomatic discussions with other countries. Our role is to protect the rights, freedoms and safety of our citizens in the national interest and that is our absolute focus. We consistently advocate in favour of the international rules based order and we fundamentally oppose coercive diplomacy in any of its forms.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Roberts, a supplementary question?

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We too are concerned about preserving the rights and freedoms of Australians. With that in mind, if more Australians are taken as hostages again in future, how many more terrorists will Australia need to set free to gain their release?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are very concerned about the use of arbitrary detention in a number of places around the world. We have engaged with international counterparts in relation to those matters, particularly counterparts in the UN Human Rights Council and in the United Nations context. I'm working closely with my Canadian counterpart in particular on these issues. It is always a matter of concern when Australians travel to countries where issues such as this are referred to in our travel advice explicitly and openly. We recommend strongly that Australians who seek to travel to such places read and observe the travel advice. The current travel advice continues to be 'do not travel' in the context of COVID-19. We form the advice through our Consular and Crisis Management Division— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Roberts, a final supplementary question?

Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Does this promotion of Australia's release of three terrorists in a hostage swap constitute providing support to a terrorist organisation, which may constitute an offence under section 102.7 of the Criminal Code Act 1995?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, it does not, and I reject the premise of Senator Roberts's question.