Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I think the senator has got a bit confused. What I have made clear is that responsibility for these matters lies with the ministers who serve on the Border Protection Committee and the relevant ministers. I made it clear to him that the ministers take responsibility through the Border Protection Committee. Mr Smith, Mr O’Connor and I are the ones directly involved. The decisions and the authorisations have been taken by us, not by staff. The responsibility of staff does not come into it. We have taken responsibility for those decisions through the Border Protection Committee of cabinet and through meetings of the ministers on a day-to-day basis dealing with the issues of old. We take responsibility for and have authorised the actions of the Australian government in relation to these matters.