Senate approves inquiry into Manus Island riot and death of Reza Barati
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Version 0 of 1. A parliamentary inquiry into the violence on Manus Island that left one man, Reza Barati, dead and dozens injured, will commence on 1 April after the Senate backed the Greens’ motion on Wednesday. The Labor party backed the vote, which passed on voices, despite no support from the Liberal party. The Greens have repeatedly expressed concerns that the immigration department’s review of the incident – the most serious in the controversial offshore detention centre’s history – would not be enough to determine the true course of events in the 17 February unrest. “Today we have secured the only genuinely independent investigation into Reza Barati’s death,” said Greens immigration spokesperson, senator Sarah Hanson-Young. “A man has died in the Australian government’s care and anything less than a parliamentary inquiry would have been grossly insufficient. “It was disappointing, though not surprising, to see the Liberal party once again vote against transparency and accountability in an attempt to continue its coverup campaign,” she continued. The review commissioned by the immigration department, to be led by former civil servant Robert Cornall, has been heavily criticised for its lack of scope. The immigration minister, Scott Morrison, also said this review would be “synthesised” with a PNG police investigation into Barati’s death, despite the police themselves being implicated in the disturbance. The parliamentary inquiry will focus on creating a timeline of events during and leading up to the unrest. The Greens say it will also allow witnesses the confidence to come forward and detail their experiences. It will also examine the immigration minister’s conduct during and after the event and will have the power to table documents produced by contractors and the department for immigration related to the incident. “Through this inquiry the workers who were there that night and the refugees who were attacked will have the opportunity to tell their stories, free from the government’s gag order,” Hanson-Young said. “It’s essential for us to find out exactly what happened that night and the government’s internal review, as part of its coordinated whitewash, is simply not good enough.” |