House debates

Monday, 22 November 2010

Private Members’ Business

Asylum Seekers

1:00 pm

Photo of Steve GeorganasSteve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The member’s motion requests public hearings in the Onkaparinga Valley. We are already doing this. Sorry; you are only catching up. The minister has already been on the ground, inspecting the site, consulting with local representatives and establishing communications, issue identification and problem-solving arrangements. The minister has already met with people in an initial series of stakeholder meetings and announced the creation of the position of community liaison officer. He has also set up the community reference group, which is already meeting.

The motion calls on the would-be committee to undertake public hearings. The government has already gone one better than that. The community could have a group of Liberal backbenchers swanning around the beautiful Onkaparinga Valley, looking for someone to talk to, because that is what they will be doing. We already have the minister himself speaking at a forum on Wednesday, 24 November—that is, in two days time.

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