Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. I ask the minister to advise the House when he received the application for the Roy Hill Enterprise Migration Agreement and how often he or his office updated the Prime Minister or her office on the progress of this application?

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

I welcome the opposition's interest in enterprise migration agreements and the benefit they bring to the Australian economy. Enterprise migration agreements were recommended by the National Resources Sector Employment Taskforce, chaired by the now Special Minister of State, in 2010. They were adopted in the 2011 budget and announced. I then issued the guidelines on EMAs after consultation with the sector and with unions, as I recall, in September 2011. The application from Roy Hill came in, as I recall it, in the few months after that. It was, perhaps, in early 2012 or late 2011. I updated the productivity committee of the cabinet informally as to progress and regularly consulted with officers across the government as to progress in relation to this development. As I said yesterday, the Prime Minister's office was briefed in detail early in the week of 21 May.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Cop that, Julia.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Dickson may cop it very shortly. The member for Berowra has the call.

Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. On what date did the minister first indicate to the Prime Minister or her office, not in a detailed brief but in general terms, that he intended to approve of this agreement?

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

They finally find a government policy they support, but they cannot bring themselves to talk about it. They have to find something to criticise, they have to find something to be negative about and they just cannot help saying no. They find a government policy, one they can finally support, and yet they cannot bring themselves to say so. I refer the honourable member to my previous answer.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business, I think the minister has concluded his answer.