Katharine Murphy, deputy political editor

theguardian.com, Thursday 14 November 2013

Greens motion passed by the Senate forces greater transparency on Coalition’s border protection operations

'It’s time for Operation Secret Boats to come to an end,' said Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

The Abbott government has been ordered by the Senate to produce documentary material detailing the “on-water operations” it wants to keep secret, in an escalation of the political effort to force greater transparency into the Operation Sovereign Borders policy.

The Senate has passed a Greens motion ordering the government to produce any documentation relating to “on-water operations” occurring between 7 September 2013 and 14 November 2013 – by 12pm on 18 November.

The motion passed on Thursday morning with the backing of Labor. The opposition has used the opening of the 44th parliament to highlight what it is terming a “culture of secrecy” from the new Abbott government.

In debate, the Liberal frontbencher Michaelia Cash told the Senate the government opposed the motion on the basis it did not want to be a “shipping news” service for people smugglers.

Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young declared that argument “absolutely gutless”.

She was rebuked for un-parliamentary language by the Liberal senator Bill Heffernan.

The motion is wide ranging. It requires the government to table a report within 24 hours of each on-water incident that takes place under Operation Sovereign Borders.

If the government defies the Senate order, the process requires the government to account for that decision.

At a minimum, the passage of the motion keeps the political spotlight on the government’s controversial inclination to keep its border protection operations largely secret.

Both the prime minister and his immigration minister Scott Morrison argue transparency is damaging both to the government’s efforts to engage Indonesia in a co-operative effort to stop asylum boats, and it also gives intelligence to people smugglers.

The Coalition says it will answer questions once a week at the briefing provided by Morrison. At those briefings, the government has refused to answer a number of detailed questions about operations to Australia’s north.

After the passage of the motion, the Greens were claiming victory. “This will bring an end to the Coalition’s arrogant silence,” Hanson-Young said. “It’s time for Operation Secret Boats to come to an end.”

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