12. Foreign Affairs Minister—Knowledge of Manus Island DetaineesHon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) to the Minister of Foreign AffairsForeign Affairs Minister—Knowledge of Manus Island DetaineesHon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam): To the Minister of Foreign Affairs can he confirm—sorry does he agree with all Government policy in relation to foreign affairs?Mr SPEAKER: Does the member want to have one more go.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: OK. To the Rt Hon Winston Peters does he—Mr SPEAKER: No no—it's to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Right I'll just read it exactly off here. We are in a pedantic time.12. Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: Does he agree with all his Government's policies in relation to foreign affairs?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Minister of Foreign Affairs): As much as it can be determined in the highly fluid ever-changing international climate of dangerous and often extreme risks yes. Hon Gerry Brownlee: Can he confirm that of the 400 protesting detainees on Manus Island few are approved as refugees and most have failed to gain asylum seeker status?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I can confirm that the present Government inherited a circumstance of the past Government where in 2013 an offer was made and we are waiting around to see whether or not—Hon Dr Nick Smith: And he criticised it.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: We're waiting around to see whether or not someone'll put a saddle on that gift horse or go on looking it in the mouth.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Can he confirm that of the 400 protesting detainees on Manus Island few are approved as refugees and most have failed to gain asylum seeker status?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: I can confirm with exactitude precisely the same information that was given to the Hon Gerry Brownlee when he was in Australia.Hon Gerry Brownlee: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The situation that has developed on Manus Island is somewhat more recent than the time that Mr Peters might have been referring to. The issue is that we've had a Prime Minister overseas cajoling the Australians—Mr SPEAKER: Yes OK. I did listen—no the member can resume his seat. The question that he was asking was pretty specific around whether people were approved refugees or asylum seekers and unless the Minister of Foreign Affairs tells us there've been changes in that in the last three weeks then I think he's adequately answered the question.Hon Gerry Brownlee: Has he been advised by his ministry about the known background of the leaders of the 400 protesting detainees?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: What I can tell this House is that there will be no one coming to New Zealand from Manus Island or for that matter from Nauru Island without them being properly thoroughly comprehensively screened and vetted.Hon Gerry Brownlee: If they are going to be properly screened and vetted wouldn't it be a good idea for the Minister to be able to tell the House that he knows the status of the 400 protesting detainees and that they are in fact not able to get refugee status and not able to claim asylum seeker status either and then tell us why he would want them in New Zealand?Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: If that is the case why on earth did the previous Government make an offer in 2013 to do just that? The difference is the information on which Mr Brownlee seeks clarity today is with exclusively the Australian and other people and not New Zealand authorities. I want to confirm again: no one will come here who has not been properly vetted and screened by the authorities in the first place as he was advised just three weeks before he left the job—unceremoniously.