Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Coonan. Can the minister outline what discussions were held with Indonesia prior to the decision to change Australia’s immigration policy through the Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill? Does the minister accept the advice of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee that the bill is ‘an inappropriate response to what is essentially a foreign policy issue’? Isn’t this legislation really just an act of appeasement to Indonesia in the wake of the decision to grant temporary protection visas to 42 Papuans earlier this year?