Logie Jan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Logie Jan: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 14 February 2013. Volume:687;Page:7869. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
4. 
JAN LOGIE (Green) 
 to the  
Prime Minister 
: Does he stand by his statement in regard to the Australian Government’s detention centres for asylum seekers that “the camps would be at the world standard we would expect from a developed economy like Australia”? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Leader of the House) 
 on behalf of the Prime Minister: Yes. 
Jan Logie 
: How can he call them “world standard” when the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has found that the conditions in the Manus Island Detention Centre are “harsh” and “inadequate”? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: During discussions on the weekend during which New Zealand indicated to Australia that we would take 150 asylum seekers assurance was sought from the Prime Minister of Australia that the facilities on Nauru and Papua New Guinea are consistent with international standards and she confirmed that. 
Jan Logie 
: Why is he simply accepting Julia Gillard’s word that the camps are “world standard” when politically neutral organisations like Amnesty International have described the conditions in the Nauru Detention Centre as “cruel inhumane and degrading”? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: Because Julia Gillard is an honourable person. 
Jan Logie 
: Are the conditions in this photo I am holding taken by Australian Green senator Sarah Hanson-Young in the Manus Island Detention Centre showing tightly packed tents and flooding in a malaria hot spot “world standard”? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: I think we need to realise that these people are desperate. They have come off very very bad conditions in what are often very dodgy boats. It is a fact that they do have access to sewerage to water to health services to mental health services to the ability to practise their religion and to stay fit. That is the assurance we have received from the Australian Government. 
Gareth Hughes 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It was a very simple question: whether the conditions in that photo were “world standard”. The Minister did not even attempt to address the photograph or the conditions therein. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I do not accept that point from you Mr Gareth Hughes. I thought the Minister gave a very satisfactory answer to that question. 
Jan Logie 
: How can he simply accept Julia Gillard’s politically motivated advice when respected independent organisations like the United Nations Amnesty International and numerous other observers have repeatedly criticised the centres as substandard? Is this yet another example of the Prime Minister choosing to see no evil and hear no evil? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: Politics is littered with people who have differing opinions such as the senator who sent you that photograph. 
Jan Logie 
: Given the overwhelming evidence of the substandard nature of the centres will he now commit to personally visiting the Nauru and Manus Island detention centres before he considers sending asylum seekers arriving in New Zealand to such centres for processing; if not why not? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: The New Zealand Government has agreed to take 150 asylum seekers from facilities in Australia. That is going to be good for those people. I cannot commit the Prime Minister to visiting anything. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Given that this is a sovereign nation why has the Prime Minister sold this country down the drain to the extent that Australia is now in control of the policy to do with our refugee programme? 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: That statement is just as outrageous as some others that have come out of his caucus in recent days. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is it a point of order? 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: Yes a very obvious point of order. It would have occurred to you that he is required to tell us why the Government typically has sold the country down the drain with the Australians now controlling our refugee programme. Diversions do not work here. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! If the member would like to reflect on his own question and the tone in suggesting to the Prime Minister that our policy or our sovereignty have been sold down the drain he should expect the sort of answer he got back from Mr Brownlee on behalf of the Prime Minister. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker your job is to find a question acceptable or not acceptable. It is not for the Minister to determine the question’s quality; it is yours. That is what you are there for. So if you found it to be insubstantial or wrong you should have said so. You did not and therefore it requires a proper answer. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: And I think it got an answer commensurate with the quality of the question. It was a very marginal question to be honest. 
Jan Logie 
: I seek leave of the House to table this photo from Sarah Hanson-Young the Australian Greens MP. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought by Jan Logie to table the photograph. Any objection? There is objection. 
Jan Logie 
: I seek leave of the House to table the  
Nauru Camp: A Human Rights Catastrophe With No End in Sight 
 report from Amnesty International. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Is it a publicly available report? 
Jan Logie 
: It is on its website but not that easy to find. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Then it is already available to every member to search for if the member wants to. I will not put the question. 
Jan Logie 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I would just actually like to question that last ruling because if you do not know the right search— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Order! There is now a well-established convention here that if material is available on a website then it is available to every member without the need to table such a document. I do not intend to put leave for documents such as that that are so freely available. 
Jan Logie 
: I seek leave of the House to table the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees  
Mission to Manus Island 
. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Again is that publicly available to members? 
Jan Logie 
: Yes. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I think then the member is now starting to trifle with the Chair by continuing to seek to table documents that are freely available. 
Gareth Hughes 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I urge you to reflect on your ruling today because a number of reports be they from the OECD or another United Nations body are regularly posted to the internet. I think it would have a stifling impact on MPs’ ability to access information if you defined this so broadly. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I accept that the member has—[ 
Interruption 
] I do not need any assistance. If the member has asked me to reflect on that decision I will do so and make some ruling on Tuesday next week.