Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Hurley’s presentation this afternoon on this motion to take note of answers was yet another clear indication of a Labor government policy in absolute disarray. We heard Senator Hurley talk about cooperation and consultation and yet only minutes earlier we heard her colleague Senator Carr deriding West Australian Premier Barnett, who tried to do exactly that, aware of the continuing failure of this government in all of its activities associated with asylum seekers. Premier Barnett—desperately concerned about the welfare of people in Leonora—when asked by the then minister, Minister Evans, offered the concept that Northam, close to Perth, a facility owned by the Australian Army, might be suitable for a small number of asylum seekers, as families, up to 500 maximum. But what do we now see? This afternoon we saw Senator Carr trying to explain away the fact that he is putting 1,500 young, single men into that facility, a disused Army facility in Northam, without any consultation with the Northam community—of which, I am very proud to say, I was a member for many, many years. Those 1,500 people will not have smiles on their faces when they realise the temperature in those old Army Nissen huts gets up to 44 and 46 degrees in our summertime! What a tragedy it was that the community was not made aware.

What a tragedy it is that we are seeing such duplicity and lies from this government. Senator Evans lost the portfolio and the new Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Mr Bowen, has already abdicated his responsibility. Only two weeks ago the shadow minister and the shadow parliamentary secretary, sitting in front of me, visited the detention centre in Derby. In very, very wise questioning, Senator Cash asked last week in estimates, ‘Is it not the case that you are intending to go up to 3,000 people at the Derby detention centre?’ ‘No, no, no, Senator; there will be a maximum of 1,200,’ they said. In estimates the other day, Senator Cash showed a photograph of recently filled-in trenches in an added area of stage 3 of the Curtin detention centre, which we were told had no application at all and there were to be no more people. I heard from an associate in Perth whilst estimates was on that a DIAC official instructed the workers to fill in the trenches containing sewage, electricity, water and other services because the shadow minister and the shadow parliamentary secretary were in attendance. Further evidence: in the middle of the wet season, you could see the fresh tyre marks of the vehicles filling in those trenches. I challenge the minister to come into this place tomorrow and tell us that they are not intending to increase the facilities at Derby. It is an absolute disgrace. And we hear senators say that there is no cooperation.

Those in refugee camps overseas would be dismayed to learn today that Senator Hurley has told us that these people in South Australia and in Western Australia will be looking to enjoy the facilities and the services of this country. It suggests to all of us that the decision has already been made; that they have already been processed and are already on their way into this community. What about those who have legitimately applied for asylum in this country—remembering again that, on a per capita basis, we are the second most generous country in the world when it comes to accepting asylum seekers? But all of the pull factors are alive and well. The comments of this new Gillard government about some solution based in Timor-Leste and the fact that we are opening up these facilities as quickly as is possible for the asylum seekers here say to us that those people who are waiting in African and other camps are fools, are idiots, to have believed that the Australian government would actually give them the priority which they richly deserve.

So we have the scenario, unfortunately, of this government failing, being lost and having nowhere to go. The Prime Minister, who was the shadow minister before they came into government, put the policies in place that we see being played out today. Unfortunately, we have a government that has abdicated its responsibility in this area. It is a disgrace.

Question agreed to.