Senator Brown asked the Minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs, upon notice, on 27 February 2003:

(1) When persons who have been detained on the island of Nauru have been persuaded to return voluntarily to Afghanistan, have they been promised that they may safely do so.

(2) Has any effort been made to ensure the safety of those returning to Afghanistan, or to determine whether they have been able to successfully resettle; if so, can the Minister attest that most have safely and successfully returned to Afghanistan.

(3) Have those returning to Afghanistan been provided with any warm clothing and footwear, particularly when being returned in the Northern Hemisphere winter.

Senator Hill (Minister for Defence) —The Minister for Foreign Affairs has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) Those people on Nauru who have been found not to be refugees and who have made a decision to return have done so after being provided with information by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This advice includes information from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other agencies on current conditions in their home lands. In the case of Afghanistan, the UNHCR has strongly supported the voluntary return of Afghan nationals. Around two million Afghan nationals have returned home under UNHCR auspices in recent months.

(2) Yes, all returnees from the processing centre on Nauru are met by IOM staff on arrival in Kabul and are provided transportation to their home region, town or village as appropriate. IOM advise that all returnees have been safely returned.

(3) Yes, returnees have been provided with appropriate clothing.

Mr Ruddock has provided a more detailed response to each of these questions.