Opening Statement to the Senate Standing Committee On Legal and Constitutional Affairs
Canberra, 19 February 2008
Madam Chair and Committee Members
Thank you for the opportunity to make a short opening statement as the new Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.
I was pleased to be appointed as Minister to a portfolio that has responsibilities which are both diverse and challenging and which has played such an important role in the development of our nation. Immigration is nation-building.
Whilst it is an entirely new portfolio to me and I have been on a steep learning curve, it is clear to me where I need to focus.
But in these three months I am clear on what I need to focus on:
- In Skilled Migration – developing migration and population policies that address key economic and social needs in meeting the skills needs of Australia, addressing shortages and putting downward pressure on inflation as well as focusing on longer term demographic trends.
- Border Protection – having an effective border security system that starts at source and addresses in-country responses in source and transit countries, as well as a fair and robust system for assessing the claims of people who may be asylum seekers.
- Getting the Administrative Infrastructure Right – building the confidence of the department in its missions and role in the delivery of the government's policy priorities. This means developing a strong research, evaluation and analytical capability, a culture of innovation as well as enhanced accountability and transparency.
- At the same time, I have been keen to move quickly to implement Labor policies.
As Senators would be aware, we have resolved the cases of the seven Burmese and 82 Sri Lankans who were classified as refugees but had been left on Nauru. We moved quickly to bring to an end the discredited former Government's failed Pacific Solution.
At the same time 16 Indonesians who were discovered in our waters late last year were taken to Christmas Island, assessed in terms of our international obligations, and ultimately returned to Indonesia.
As a priority, I met with my Indonesian counterpart, Mr Mattalatta, in January when I travelled to Jakarta. I also held very constructive meetings there with the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Mr Wirajuda, on how our countries can better cooperate to stop people smugglers preying on the most vulnerable.
In the area of skilled migration, I have announced an increase of 6000 permanent skilled visas in the current year, an expansion of the working holiday maker visa and the establishment of an external reference group to examine how we can make the temporary skilled visa program, the sub-class 457 program, work more effectively to meet the skill needs of the resource, construction and infrastructure sectors.
It is important that we build confidence and integrity in all our migration and humanitarian programs.
I have also announced that there will be a review of the Citizenship Test to examine how the test can be improved.
I made it a priority to move on the resolution of what the department quaintly calls ‘legacy cases’ that represent the problems that beset the Department in the past.
There are more than I expected and I have sought advice from the Department on how we can move quickly to finalise the 247 cases identified by the Ombudsman where individuals had been unlawfully detained.
Obviously one of those priority cases was to finalise that of Cornelia Rau and end the terrible ordeal that she has suffered.
In that context I can also advise that Cornelia Rau's lawyers have communicated to the Commonwealth that they have accepted an increased offer of compensation on her behalf.
The terms of settlement remain to be finalised and must be approved by the Supreme Court. I have been advised therefore, that it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the details of the settlement at this time.
But I am hopeful of having that resolved in the next couple of weeks.
I have made a point of meeting the Commonwealth Ombudsman and Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commissioner and look forward to establish good working relationships with both of them and continue their involvement in the department's work.
In my dealings with officers at all levels of the department I have been impressed by their acceptance of the need for change, the changes as highlighted by the findings of the Palmer and Comrie reviews.
The officials I have met have taken increasing pride in how the Department has responded to the concerns raised and that is reflected in a commitment to build a strong culture of openness, innovation and accountability that I hope will serve Australia well.
I look forward to working with committee members both today and into the future.
I acknowledge that there are a number of Senators with a keen interest in these matters and I am keen to engage them in the process of building a strong immigration system for Australia.
See:
Index of speeches and articles
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au
/media/speeches/2008/ce08-19022008.htm
Last update: 13 August 2008 at 17:14 AEST