Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. I refer the minister to his comments on ABC Radio Perth on 17 September that:

I’ve certainly made no decisions or no announcements about Northam … I’d talk … to the relevant shire there and the authorities about what we were contemplating there if we were to do so and get their feedback.

Why did the minister then announce Northam as one of the sites to house asylum seekers without first consulting with the residents of Northam? Will he now personally consult with residents at the town hall meeting on 4 November and address their concerns about security and pressures on local services—(Time expired)

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question and I thank her for the positive way she has engaged on this issue in her conversations with me and with the government. I am more than happy to talk to the Shire of Northam, as we have done and as I will do in coming weeks. I am also happy to talk to other communities, as I have done in Inverbrackie, for example. As a further example, the House might be interested to know that yesterday I had a very constructive discussion with the mayor of Adelaide Hills, Mr Cooksley. He raised with me the impact on local health services and I reassured him that there would be no impact on local health services.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! If an interjection is worth a death stare in a TV studio, in the chamber it is worth the Deputy Leader of the Opposition listening in silence and obeying the standing orders.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was saying that yesterday I had a very constructive discussion with the mayor of Adelaide Hills. The mayor of Adelaide Hills asked me to examine, for example, not only making sure that there is no negative impact on health services but also investigating whether there may be positive impacts on health services from the opening of the facility at Adelaide Hills. I told him I was more than happy to explore that with him in consultation with the community.

Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Briggs interjecting

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is the sort of thing a local leader can achieve when they interact positively with the government instead of undertaking political stunts like the member for Mayo.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I raise a point of order on relevance, Mr Speaker: the minister was asked why he did not consult before he made the decision, not what he is doing after.

Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He is out of his depth.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Mayo will be out of his depth in the sense of being out of the chamber if he continues to interject. The minister will relate his answer directly to the question.

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just as I have interacted with Mayor Cooksley, I will continue to interact with Mayor Pollard—just as I have interacted with Premier Rann as late as today, just as I consulted with Premier Barnett before making the announcement about Northam—

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Morrison interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Cook!

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

just as I consulted—

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Morrison interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Cook!

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I consulted with Premier Barnett by way of phone call to him in the lead-up to the decision on whether to embark on Northam. It was a very positive conversation with Premier Barnett, which is perhaps unsurprising as he was the person who suggested a detention facility be established at Northam. Perhaps it was unsurprising given he wrote to my predecessor asking why don’t we explore Northam as a potential opportunity. I will certainly continue to interact not only with the honourable member for Pearce, who takes a constructive approach to this matter, but also with the state member, Mr Grills, who I must say has been particularly constructive. He has stated that he sees this as an opportunity for the people of Northam, that he wants to talk to people like those in Derby who have found that having a detention facility in their electorate can be a very positive thing.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You said you had referred to them before the decision.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Cook, for the third time!

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The sorts of things that can be achieved are shown, for example, in the electorate of the member for Leichhardt. I noticed this morning the acting chair of the Weipa Town Authority saying the department of immigration has interacted very positively with the community, that the consultation has been very positive indeed and that he expects great benefits for the people of Weipa. That is what you can achieve when you interact positively with this government.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question was about Northam. You’ve got no answer about how you didn’t consult.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Cook for the fourth time!

Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is what the member for Pearce has asked to happen, and that is what will happen from my point of view. I am more than happy to do that, but I will not engage in political stunts like the member for Mayo seems to be intent on doing.

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are talking about Northam.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Cook for the fifth time! If the member for Cook listened instead of rabbiting on while the minister was answering, he would perhaps have understood that on this occasion the minister had the decency to relate his comments about other parts of Australia to the original question.