Parliament

Advocacy for children and young people should be a national priority. At present, child protection is a state and territory government responsibility but with increasing community awareness of the importance and broad scope of child protection, it's time for the establishment of a national system that co-ordinates these varying state-based regulations and programs.

Senator HANSON-YOUNG (South Australia) (3.56 pm) - I move:

That the Senate -

(a) notes the treacherous, and sometimes fatal journey asylum seekers who arrive by boat take in reaching Australia, including the reports as early as the week beginning 9 May 2010 of the five Australia-bound asylum seekers who perished at sea in an attempt to find assistance for their stricken vessel; and

Senator HANSON-YOUNG (South Australia) (3.45 pm) - I move:

That the Senate -

(a) notes:

(i) the recent decision by the Rudd Government to suspend the processing of asylum claims from Sri Lankan and Afghan nationals for 3 and 6 months respectively, and

(ii) in 2009, Australia received just 1.6 per cent of all asylum claims lodged in the world's 44 industrialised nations, with less than half of this number arriving by boat;

Thank you for the invitation to speak today. Before I begin, I'd like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land - the Kaurna people. The land on which we meet is still of cultural and indeed educational significance to them today.

I would also like to acknowledge the previous speaker, the Opposition's Spokesperson on Education, the Hon. Christopher Pyne.

Education is at a crossroads in this country. After a decade of inaction and inadequate funding, the new Rudd government promised an education revolution.

Senator Hanson-Young -Thank you to both of you for your opening remarks. I wanted to pick up on one thing Senator Parry said, which may have been a throwaway comment but I actually think it goes to the heart of your concern about this legislation, that you need a broad net in order to catch the tricky fish.

Senator Hanson-Young -Part of your submission talks about the concerns you have with the amendments in the current bill in relation to material support. Would you agree with the previous witnesses that the way this is drafted is too vague and it is quite incomprehensible for somebody to actually understand exactly what 'material support' means?

Senator Hanson-Young -Does the Law Council have a general view, then, about legislation that is drafted and enacted by parliament that is so broad that the question is how anybody is going to know until it is actually tested?

Dr Biok -Senator, I suggest also that what would assist in saving people's lives-and I agree with you, I think that we need to do what we can to stop a lot of these boats from leaving-is to try to educate people in Indonesia and Malaysia and also to make their lives more worthwhile there. There is a lot of connection now between the Australian government and the Indonesian government. I deal quite regularly with people in the Indonesian Embassy and try to provide them with some training and assistance on refugee matters.

Senator Hanson-Young -Mr Connolly, when you outlined your major concerns in your opening statement at the beginning, you mentioned that part of the problem was that people have not been able to participate in discussing whether this is a change to the types of roles that ASIO currently have, and you referenced how extensive the debates have been.

Senator Hanson-Young -I have a few questions but, because we are tight for time, you might have to take some on notice. While this bill has very clear intent in terms of wanting to crack down on and bring to account people who are participating in people-smuggling, and I understand and accept that, Australia has signed the UN anti-people-smuggling protocol.