Mr SCIACCA (10:57 PM) — In these last couple of minutes that we have before we adjourn, I want to make a few comments with respect to the report that was delivered yesterday by the Human Rights Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. I particularly congratulate the members of the government who joined in a consensus report—one of the very small number of reports from committees where there is in fact a consensus, particularly in an area which is so controversial nowadays amongst the Australian public. Of course, I am talking about the detention centres, the immigration processing centres.

I must say that I particularly appreciated the courage of the member for Sturt. I saw him on TV today. I have always thought, with great respect, that the member for Sturt was a little bit of a cry-baby, but in fact he showed a bit of courage today. He got up and he was prepared to stick by the recommendations of the report that was brought downyesterday by the Human Rights Subcommittee. When you look at it, you will see that many of the things that they have said there are hardly controversial. They are not matters that are going to in any shape or form jeopardise the integrity of the detention system.

Labor have made it very clear that we believe, having introduced mandatory detention, there is room for mandatory detention in this country for those that arrive on our shores on an unauthorised basis. But we do say that the system can be vastly improved. There is no reason for us not to do things a little bit more humanely and to treat these people as the human beings that they are. If they become genuine refugees, we should try to get them out of there as quickly as we can. We should do what we can with the process to try to get them out as quickly as we can. If they are not fair dinkum, if they are people who have just come here as economic refugees that do not have any grounds for protection, then we should get rid of them as quickly as we can as well.

The report gives a number of recommendations which I would urge the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Mr Ruddock, to look at seriously. He does not have to confront his party colleagues, he does not have to call them naive, because the fact is that almost all of the recommendations quite easily could be picked up by the government and they would really not in any shape or form hurt the detention system as it presently stands.

Mr SPEAKER —Order! It being 11 p.m., the debate is interrupted.