Opposition set to support push for parliamentary inquiry in to unrest at detention centre, Guardian Australia understands

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Labor is expected to back the Greens’ call for a parliamentary inquiry into the unrest on Manus Island that left one man dead and dozens injured.



Guardian Australia understands that following negotiations, the Labor party will support the inquiry although are yet to decide on when they want to initiate the proceedings.



The Greens called for a parliamentary inquiry into the unrest on Saturday, expressing concern that the departmental review, being led by ex-civil servant Robert Cornall, “simply isn’t good enough”.



Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said that the department’s terms of reference for the review were too narrow and expressed concern that the findings would be kept secret.



Immigration minister Scott Morrison has announced that the departmental review will be “synthesised” with ongoing investigations by the PNG police.



The PNG police themselves are implicated in the violence which left Iranian asylum seeker reza Barati dead. But an interim report into the trouble, seen by Guardian Australia, appears to have initially absolved them of any responsibility.



It concedes that PNG mobile squad police fired shots during the disturbance but, “they had to do what they did, and that brought the whole scenario under controlled, but still tensed”.



Hanson-Young has indicated that the parliamentary inquiry would focus on creating a timeline of events during and leading up to the unrest and would also allow eyewitnesses the confidence to come forward and detail their experiences.



It would also examine the immigration minister’s conduct during and after the event and have the power to table documents produced by contractors and the department for immigration related to the incident.