QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE – CHRISTMAS ISLAND DETENTION CENTRE
March 22, 2011
Mr CHESTER (3.22 pm) — My question is to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. Will the minister detail when he or his office received warnings about the potential for increased violence on Christmas Island and who provided those warnings?
Mr BOWEN — I thank the member for Gippsland for his question. I think the member for Gippsland refers to two reports in today’s media. One was an Australian Federal Police report, looking at the added managed security at the North West Point Detention Centre. That report made nine recommendations and my advice is that all nine recommendations were adopted. That report also dealt with the potential for a detention centre capacity of 2,300, which was substantially more than the detention centre capacity at North West Point at the time of last week’s riot. I think that the honourable member is also referring to a report from a manager of Serco in relation to staffing at the North West Point Detention Centre. Both of these reports and any other reports that were provided by the department are matters for investigation by the independent review that I have established.
Opposition members interjecting—
Mr Pyne — Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The minister is not entitled to redefine the question. He was not asked about two reports in the media today. He was asked about any warnings that he or his office were provided with about the potential for increased violence at Christmas Island. That is the question he needs to answer.
The SPEAKER — Order! As I have indicated in the past, this illustrates the dilemma that a Chair is in. The Chair does not know the answer. The question has been asked and I am in a position where I have to make sure that the standing order, which is direct relevance, is what we are seeing in the response. So far, I believe that is the case. I understand—and I have repeated this—that sometimes when people ask questions they expect an answer in some form, but I cannot direct the form of the answer.
Mr BOWEN — Thank you, Mr Speaker. The honourable member asked me about reports and I am referring to the two reports that I am aware of. These reports and other reports will be referred to the independent investigation that I initiated, the independent investigation which will be led by two eminent former bureaucrats, Dr Allan Hawke and Ms Helen Williams. I would invite the honourable member to share any information he has with that review.