Chris Bowen Resigns From Gillard Ministry

Mar 22, 2013 1 Comment

Chris Bowen has resigned as a minister in the Gillard government.

Bowen was the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research, and Minister for Small Business. He previously held the post of Immigration Minister.

Bowen

In the Rudd government, Bowen held the posts of Assistant Treasurer, Financial Services and Competititon Policy.

At a press conference in Canberra this morning, Bowen said he felt that after voting against Prime Minister Julia Gillard once he could not remain in the ministry having opposed her a second time.

Bowen’s resignation follows yesterday’s sacking of Simon Crean and the resignation of Richard Marles. Ed Husic and Janelle Saffin also resigned as assistant whips whilst Joel Fitzgibbon is expected to resign as Chief Whip.

Bowen tweeted: “It was an honour to serve in Cabinet for four years. Thanks for your messages of support.”

  • Listen to Bowen’s press conference (23m)

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Transcript of Chris Bowen’s press conference.

BOWEN: Morning everybody. Twenty-five years ago, I joined the Australian Labor Party. Every day since then I’ve done what I thought is in the best interests of the Labor Party always.

Yesterday was a difficult day for the Labor Party. On that difficult day, I took the decision that the best thing for the Labor Party and for Australia would be for Kevin Rudd to return to the prime ministership. As you know, I’ve held that view for some time. That’s the way I voted last February. Having expressed that view, having worked towards it, last night after discussing the matter with my wife and close friends, I decided to resign from the Gillard Cabinet. I informed the Prime Minister of this earlier this morning.

I want to stress that other ministers will reach their own conclusion. Other ministers who supported Mr Rudd will reach their own decisions. This is what I regard as the appropriate and honourable decision for me and I completely respect the decision that other ministers may reach.

Being a member of the Cabinet, that group of 20 or so people that makes decisions, that guides a nation of more than 22 million, is a huge honour. A huge honour that hardly anybody as a proportion of the population gets to achieve. Even a small proportion of MPs, aspiring MPs get to sit in a Cabinet room of Australia. I thank Kevin Rudd for appointing me to the Cabinet and I thank Julia Gillard for maintaining me in the Cabinet. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 Federal Election, A.L.P., Audio2013, Cabinet-Ministry, Gillard Tagged With: , , ,

Gillard Offers Western Sydney Motorway Funding With Conditions

Mar 04, 2013 Leave a Comment

On the first full day of her week-long campaign in western Sydney, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has promised funding for the western Sydney motorway network, provided the state government comes up with an acceptable business plan.

Speaking beside a noisy motorway with Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese and Labor MPs from western Sydney, Gillard stipulated several conditions for her government’s support for WestConnex project.

Gillard

She said the NSW government needed to ensure direct routes through the central business district and Port Botany, and ensure that freight can be taken directly from the M5 to Port Botany. She said existing roads should remain toll-free.

“I’ll make a funding offer on the day I see an appropriate plan,” she told reporters at the media conference.

Gillard was flanked by Labor MPs Chris Bowen (McMahon), David Bradbury (Lindsay), Jason Clare (Blaxland), Ed Husic (Chifley) and Michelle Rowland (Greenway).

  • Listen to Gillard’s media conference (27m) – transcript below

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  • Listen to comments from NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell

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Statement from Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Federal funding for Western Sydney Motorway

The Federal Government has committed to providing funds towards the Westconnex road project, if planning currently underway identifies a detailed business case and direct routes through to the CBD and Port Botany.

This is part of our commitment to support jobs and growth in Sydney.

This infrastructure commitment is also helping western and south-western Sydney residents to cut back on travel times and improve the quality of life they can enjoy with their families. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 Federal Election, Audio2013, Gillard, Infrastructure Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Gillard Government Moves Yet Closer To Howard On Asylum Seekers

Nov 21, 2012 Leave a Comment

The Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, has announced a new policy of ‘bridging visas’ for asylum seekers who will be released into the community.

Chris Bowen

 

Bowen said: “Consistent with ‘no advantage’, people from this cohort going onto bridging visas will have no work rights and will receive only basic accommodation assistance, and limited financial support.”

The change of approach is a tacit acknowledgement that the government’s refugee policies are now in tatters. Bowen said, “given the number of people who had arrived by boat since 13 August, it would not be possible to transfer them all to Nauru or Manus Island in the immediate future”.

Condemnation of the government came swiftly from the Opposition and the Greens, but for different reasons.

  • Listen to Chris Bowen’s press conference (26m)

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  • Listen to Shadow Immigration Minister Scott Morrison (11m)

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  • Listen to Greens Senators Christine Milne and Sarah Hanson-Young (21m)

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  • Listen to Tony Abbott and Julie Bishop speak to the media today (15m)

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Media releases from Immigration Minister Chris Bowen.

No advantage onshore for boat arrivals

People who arrived by boat post-13 August and all future arrivals will have the ‘no advantage’ principle applied to their cases onshore, even if they are not transferred offshore for regional processing, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen MP, announced today.

Mr Bowen said given the number of people who had arrived by boat since 13 August, it would not be possible to transfer them all to Nauru or Manus Island in the immediate future.

‘Accordingly, some of these people will be processed in the Australian community. They will not however be issued with a permanent Protection visa if found to be a refugee, until such time that they would have been resettled in Australia after being processed in our region,’ Mr Bowen said.

‘People arriving by boat are subject to this ‘no advantage’ principle, whether that means being transferred offshore to have their claims processed, remaining in detention, or being placed in the community.

‘Transfers to Nauru and Manus Island will continue, however in the coming weeks and months my department will begin releasing some people who arrived by boat on or after August 13 into the community on bridging visas.

‘Consistent with ‘no advantage’, people from this cohort going onto bridging visas will have no work rights and will receive only basic accommodation assistance, and limited financial support.’ [Read more...]

Filed Under: A.L.P., Audio, Audio2012, Gillard, Greens, Liberal Party, Refugees, Video Tagged With: , , , , ,

Nauru Designated For Regional Processing

Sep 10, 2012

Nauru has been officially designated a regional processing country under the Migration Act.

The formal action to put in place the government’s about-turn on processing of asylum seekers took place today with the tabling of the legislative instrument in the House of Representatives by the Immigration Minister Chris Bowen.

The Opposition maintained its position that Howard-era outcomes can only be achieved by the introduction of the full suite of Howard policies, including temporary protection visas and turning back the boats. Shadow minister Scott Morrison moved an amendment along these lines.

Statement released by Immigration Minister Chris Bowen.

Nauru designated for regional processing

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen MP, has this morning signed the legislative instrument designating the Republic of Nauru as a regional processing country under the Migration Act.

‘I will today table the designation documents in Parliament. Subject to both houses passing a resolution approving the designation, the designation will allow for the transfer of irregular maritime arrivals who arrived after 13 August to Nauru,’ Mr Bowen said.

‘These documents outline the terms of agreement with the Nauruan Government and the fact I have now designated Nauru as a regional processing country.’

The Minister has determined that it is in the national interest to begin transferring people to Nauru as set out in the Statement of Reasons, including:

  • Nauru has given Australia the assurances around the principle of non-refoulement and the assessment of asylum claims in line with the Refugee Convention
  • Designating Nauru as a regional processing country will discourage irregular and dangerous maritime voyages and thereby reduce the risk of the loss of life at sea
  • The designation promotes the maintenance of a fair and orderly Refugee and Humanitarian Program that retains the confidence of the Australian people
  • Designating Nauru as a regional processing country promotes regional cooperation on irregular migration and people smuggling and its undesirable consequences; and
  • Arrangements already in place in Nauru and those that are proposed to be put in place in Nauru are satisfactory.

The Memorandum of Understanding with the Nauruan Government was signed on 29 August. Construction work on the temporary facility is nearing completion and the government expects to be able to begin transferring people to Nauru later this week.

Mr Bowen said the government was committed to implementing the recommendations of the Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers.

‘The designation I have tabled today is the next step in implementing the Expert Panel’s recommendations,’ he said.

Further announcements about processing arrangements in Nauru will be made in due course.

Filed Under: Gillard, Liberal Party, Refugees, Video Tagged With: , ,

Arthur Calwell Memorial Lecture 2012: Chris Bowen

Apr 03, 2012

This is the text of the Arthur Calwell Memorial Lecture delivered by the Minister for Immigration, Chris Bowen.

Chris BowenThank you and it’s a pleasure to join you tonight to give the Arthur Calwell Memorial Lecture.

I’d like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation, the traditional owners of the land on which we meet today and pay my respects to the elders – past and present – and thank them for their stewardship of our land over the millennia.

I would also like to acknowledge Dr Mary Elizabeth Calwell, Arthur’s daughter, who is here with us tonight. I know Mary Elizabeth herself has an abiding interest in both the past and future of the Labor Party, including her father’s legacy.

I would also like to thank my friend Maria Vamvakinou for the invitation to be here. Maria is a first class Member of Parliament. She makes unfailingly thoughtful contributions in our Caucus and in Parliament. She is a fearless advocate for her community and, in my area of responsibility, a passionate believer in multiculturalism. Best of all, I count her as a trusty counsel and a firm friend. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Gillard, Immigration, Multiculturalism Tagged With: ,
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