Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for the question. The senator asked me whether I received a letter on 23 May. I have a pretty good memory but I do not have a file in my head of all correspondence received. I am quite sure that I would have received correspondence during the year on this issue. What would happen with that correspondence is what happens in, I think, all ministers’ offices: the correspondence goes down to the department for appropriate action or reply. Clearly, if this correspondence did arrive, it has gone off for appropriate action.

The senator asked me about the time period between a letter arriving and a visit being undertaken. I will make some inquiries about what happened in that time period, but one should not assume that a time period between notification of an allegation and a visit means that nothing happened in the meantime. Of course, when one wants to make a visit to a site in order to check out some allegations, arrangements and preliminary inquiries have to be made. As a consequence of that, the site can be visited—and that is what has happened.

I indicated in this place yesterday that a notice of intention has been given. It is normal practice, when notice of intention to cancel is given, that the person at the other end is given the opportunity, which comes under the natural justice rules, to reply to the allegations and the preliminary findings of the officers concerned. That is just normal practice.