Senator MURPHY —My question is addressed to the Minister representing the minister responsible for reconciliation, Senator Vanstone. The minister would be aware of events over the past week regarding the removal of Aboriginal groups from the precincts of Parliament House. Can the minister confirm that, despite the Prime Minister refusing to meet with them, the protesters agreed to disperse after being offered a meeting with the minister with the responsibility for reconciliation, Mr Ruddock? Can the minister confirm that Minister Ruddock cancelled the meeting at the last minute when he learned that the media had been informed of the details of that meeting because he did not want to have it turned into a media event? Does the minister have any reaction to the news that it was allegedly her colleague Senator Bill Heffernan who had in fact informed the media of the details of the proposed meeting?

Senator VANSTONE (Justice and Customs) —I thank the senator for his question. The bottom line, Senator, is: no, I cannot confirm anything that you have told me. I do not have a brief from the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, who is responsible for reconciliation. In relation to those matters, all I can do is take the full detail of your question on notice. I will get back to you quickly about it. I can add that, when people seek a meeting of one sort or another, and then one later finds that the media has been invited and you have not been informed of that, it is sometimes quite understandable to say, `Look, I'm sorry, I thought I was having a private meeting, not a media circus.' I do not say that to confirm that is Minister Ruddock's view. I do not know, I have not discussed it with him and I do not have a brief. So I will take the details on notice and come back to you.

Senator MURPHY —Madam President, I ask a supplementary question. Given your response, Minister, perhaps you would also like to find out whether Senator Heffernan was following instructions in leaking the details of the meeting; or was this part of a Howard government plan to sabotage the meeting; or was the Parliamentary Secretary to Cabinet, indeed, off on a jaunt of his own?

Government senators interjecting—

Senator MURPHY —In the interests of the reconciliation process, will the minister undertake to restrain Senator Heffernan from any involvement in these matters in future?

The PRESIDENT —Order, Senator Murphy. Senators on my right are making so much noise that it is hard for Senator Vanstone to hear what she is being asked.

Senator MURPHY —I will just repeat the last part of the supplementary question; I do think she may have heard the first part. In the interests of the reconciliation process, will the minister undertake to restrain Senator Heffernan from any involvement in these matters in the future?

Senator VANSTONE (Justice and Customs) —I will take those questions on notice.