Immigration Minister censured by the Senate : Melbourne Indymedia

Spokesman Jack Smit commented on the motion: "Hundreds of ordinary Australians have stopped their normal lives since the scandal of the passing of John Howard's Tampa laws, and they have known for years that the Department of Immigration acts like cowboys, and are a law unto themselves."

"Untold misery and psychological damage, and massive trauma to human lives that can never be undone, has been the result of the Howard policies since Tampa, and regardless of the government spin and denial, those ordinary Australians have reams of evidence from an untold number of incidents, ready for a Royal Commission which should now become unavoidable."

"Now that senior Immigration officials are coming out, prepared to testify before a Royal Commission about the coyboys - especially in the Compliance (Deportation) Branch - but refraining from supporting the Government's Mick Palmer "mickey mouse" inquiry, it is only a decent start to censure the Minister, who has been more interested in protecting her own Department's shady operations than to do her duty and uphold government transparency and accountability before the Australian public."

"Senator Vanstone should not just be censured over her failure as a Minister, but she should resign, and with her the Department of Immigration should be "raided" by the Ombudsman, the Public Service Standards Commission, and the Commissioners who should be appointed as part of the Royal Commission that should be called for, today also supported by Federal ALP leader Mr Kim Beazley in his remarks in Parliament."

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For more information on Vanstone trying to cover her arse, checkout commentary by Sydney Morning Herald senior journalist, Margot Kingston

Government knew where Vivian was all the time: Priest

http://webdiary.smh.com.au/archives/margo_kingston/001001.html

The Senate censured Vanstone for her her failure to:

(i) instigate a full judicial public inquiry into the manifest failure of her department to fulfil its duty of care to those in its responsibility,

(ii) manage the timely and humane processing of asylum seekers,

(iii) abide by the international conventions relating to the treatment of children,

(iv) admit responsibility for the wrongful detention of at least 33 people and the illegal deportation of at least one Australian citizen,

(v) take any steps to monitor the status of asylum seekers deported from Australia by her department; and

(vi) take her accountability responsibilities seriously.