Howard gags key figures in boat row

Three key players in the children-overboard affair have been gagged by the Howard Government and will be prevented from appearing before a Senate inquiry.

Cabinet yesterday decided to block the Senate's request to question key ministerial staff about when they were told that the government's election claim that asylum seekers threw children overboard was untrue, and if they passed the information on to ministers.

The decision will prevent senators from questioning Prime Minister John Howard's international adviser, Miles Jordana, former defence minister Peter Reith's media adviser, Ross Hampton, and Mr Reith's military adviser, Mike Scrafton.

Cabinet also decided that government departments would not be allowed to make submissions to the Senate inquiry.

But key public servants can still be called to appear before the Senate. They include Prime Minister's Department head Max Moore-Wilton, Defence Department head Allan Hawke and Jane Halton, the chairwoman of the government's people smuggling taskforce.

It was Ms Halton who first raised the allegation that asylum seekers had thrown children from a boat attempting to illegally enter Australia on October 7.

The gag comes less than a week after the Victorian Labor Government ordered five senior political advisers not to appear before a parliamentary inquiry into the appointment of Premier Steve Bracks' close friend, Jim Reeves, to a lucrative public sector job.

Mr Howard has described the Senate inquiry as politically motivated, but said on February 15: "I have nothing to fear in relation to the truth on this matter. I don't have anything to hide."

Labor senator John Faulkner, a member of the Senate inquiry, last night said Labor would vigorously fight the ban. "The committee is entitled to invite witnesses relevant to the inquiry and I will be making this case strongly," he said.

Cabinet decided that people covered by the Member of Parliament Staff Act would not appear before the inquiry, which begins on March 25.

It also decided that departments should not make submissions because the issue had received coverage from the recent Senate Estimates Committee hearings.

Mr Jordana is a key player because he was informed by Ms Halton during the election campaign that there were doubts surrounding the veracity of photos released by the government as "proof" that the incident took place. It was revealed later that the photos depicted the rescue of asylum seekers who had ended up in the water when their boat sank.

Mr Jordana was also told that a report by the Office of National Assessments - used by Mr Howard to back up the children-overboard claims during his National Press Club address two days before the November 10 election - was based largely on comments by ministers.

Labor members of the committee said they wanted to ask Mr Jordana whether he passed on the doubts about the incident to the Prime Minister.

Mr Scrafton and Mr Hampton - who now works for Education Minister Brendan Nelson - were to be questioned about how pictures and videos of the sinking boat came to be wrongly portrayed as evidence that children were thrown overboard and how the government failed to correct the public record.

Claims have been made that both men were informed before election day that there was no evidence to support the children-overboard story.

Mr Scrafton, who now works in the Defence Department, had two discussions with Mr Howard on the night before the press club address. Labor wanted to ask him what he told Mr Howard.

All three aides have refused to answer media questions about the matter.


	Government News Index site index HOME Howard gags key figures in boat row By Phillip Hudson, Kerry Taylor Canberra March 12 2002 Three key players in the children-overboard affair have been gagged by the Howard Government and will be prevented from appearing before a Senate inquiry. Cabinet yesterday decided to block the Senate's request to question key ministerial staff about when they were told that the government's election claim that asylum seekers threw children overboard was untrue, and if they passed the information on to ministers. The decision will prevent senators from questioning Prime Minister John Howard's international adviser, Miles Jordana, former defence minister Peter Reith's media adviser, Ross Hampton, and Mr Reith's military adviser, Mike Scrafton. Cabinet also decided that government departments would not be allowed to make submissions to the Senate inquiry. But key public servants can still be called to appear before the Senate. They include Prime Minister's Department head Max Moore-Wilton, Defence Department head Allan Hawke and Jane Halton, the chairwoman of the government's people smuggling taskforce. It was Ms Halton who first raised the allegation that asylum seekers had thrown children from a boat attempting to illegally enter Australia on October 7. The gag comes less than a week after the Victorian Labor Government ordered five senior political advisers not to appear before a parliamentary inquiry into the appointment of Premier Steve Bracks' close friend, Jim Reeves, to a lucrative public sector job. Mr Howard has described the Senate inquiry as politically motivated, but said on February 15: "I have nothing to fear in relation to the truth on this matter. I don't have anything to hide." Labor senator John Faulkner, a member of the Senate inquiry, last night said Labor would vigorously fight the ban. "The committee is entitled to invite witnesses relevant to the inquiry and I will be making this case strongly," he said. Cabinet decided that people covered by the Member of Parliament Staff Act would not appear before the inquiry, which begins on March 25. It also decided that departments should not make submissions because the issue had received coverage from the recent Senate Estimates Committee hearings. Mr Jordana is a key player because he was informed by Ms Halton during the election campaign that there were doubts surrounding the veracity of photos released by the government as "proof" that the incident took place. It was revealed later that the photos depicted the rescue of asylum seekers who had ended up in the water when their boat sank. Mr Jordana was also told that a report by the Office of National Assessments - used by Mr Howard to back up the children-overboard claims during his National Press Club address two days before the November 10 election - was based largely on comments by ministers. Labor members of the committee said they wanted to ask Mr Jordana whether he passed on the doubts about the incident to the Prime Minister. Mr Scrafton and Mr Hampton - who now works for Education Minister Brendan Nelson - were to be questioned about how pictures and videos of the sinking boat came to be wrongly portrayed as evidence that children were thrown overboard and how the government failed to correct the public record. Claims have been made that both men were informed before election day that there was no evidence to support the children-overboard story. Mr Scrafton, who now works in the Defence Department, had two discussions with Mr Howard on the night before the press club address. Labor wanted to ask him what he told Mr Howard. All three aides have refused to answer media questions about the matter. The Age Index