Kerry Nettle (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Ellison, the Minister representing the Attorney-General and the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. Minister, why has ASIO delayed its security assessment of the Arabic newspaper editor Abdel Bari Atwan and, as a result, prevented him from visiting Australia for the Brisbane Writers Festival? Given the importance of his contribution to the security debate on the causes of terrorism, is the government not embarrassed about this delay, or is the government trying to avoid any pre-election criticism of its national security policy and the war in Iraq?