Earlier in the news, we showed you our interview with Eamon Courtenay as he emerged victorious in the latest lawsuit between the Ashcroft Alliance and Sunshine Holdings Limited.
The press also asked him for comments as PUP Senator on a recent law that was passed. It splits the Immigration Department into 2. One section will be in charge of granting Nationality and Passports, and another section will be responsible for "immigration and border management".
Courtenay gave his opinion that this change will weaken the checks and balances at the Immigration Department. As viewers will remember vividly, that department has been wracked with scandals which culminated last year in the 13 month long Senate Hearings on Immigration.
Here's how he questioned whether or not the Government was listening to a major complaint from the public servants who testified in those hearings:
Hon. Eamon Courtenay - PUP Senator
"Late in March, when we were debating the amendments to the Immigration Act, Passport Act, we had strongly objected to the division of the Department of Immigration into two, 1 dealing with passport and nationality, and secondly, the other department will deal with immigration, and what the call border management. We objected for a number of reasons. First of all, the Senate Committee is about to report, and one of the biggest complaints from the public servants was that there was a disconnect between people who were in the country with work permits and permanent residency, and those who were granting nationality. So, when somebody applied for nationality, the department that gave them a work permit, or a permanent residency, there was no sharing of information. The person simple came and said, I was here for 7 years, and I had work permit, but there was not cross checking. Here it is, in light of that complaint from the public service, Government now amends the law to make permanent that separation. It is counter-intuitive. It is against what the public servants have recommended, but most importantly, it enables fraud in the Immigration Department to be perpetrated. We objected, and I will repeat our concern. We are now moving into re-registration. This division allows fraud to be perpetrated in the Immigration Department."
We're informed that the Senate Special Select Committee is in the process of debating its first draft report on those hearings.
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