Mal Brough (Longman, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I think the questions you raise are good ones and are probably why it has taken since, I think, 1986 to negotiate this. Since I was the minister who signed it, I will take full responsibility! I wish that were true. It has been great that they have got to this agreement. There are still a range of things that have to be gone through—ratification et cetera. I think 1 January 2009 is the date for its introduction. I will get the officials to give you a full run-down on how it applies to people before and after returning both ways. The very real issue that you raise about displaced people not having papers is an ongoing one, and we would have to be sensitive to that. I do not know the answer as to how you can physically address someone’s issues if there is no way of assuring yourself that what they are saying is in fact accurate. But let us have a look at that and come back to you. We have a little time to work on it and to try to get some proper answers.

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