http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2011/s3344736.htm

tony..""to be fair,..this is an independent advocate
who's meant to be independent..of the political process,
including independent..of the Greens,..the Government,..the Opposition;

he's meant to be plotting..his own course
and yet he appears to have been very close..to your position.

SARAH HANSON-YOUNG: Well,..look,
I think if the only crime..that he has committed is putting in writing the concerns..he wants to be able to raise in a public/forum because he believed..that they had been suppressed,..well,..I think that is a decent thing..for a person..who desperately believes its/his job,..

most importantly..than all,..is..to ensure that he
looks after the cases..that come across his desk and
that..he has..the resources to do that.

The issues in immigration detention are chaotic...The skyrocketing suicide rates..there was a man on the roof of the Darwin detention centre last night who attempted to hang himself..and had to be dragged down by his fellow detainees.

And that's..this is happening on a daily basis.

Long-term detention is creating this problem...The minister doesn't want to hear about it...*He didn't want to hear about it from Mr Asher;..*he doesn't want to hear about it from the Greens;

he doesn't want to hear..about it being-
he doesn't want to hear it..being spoken about..in the media.

This is a...

TONY JONES: OK..alright,..go ahead.
No,..finish that.

SARAH HANSON-YOUNG: This is absolutely punishment..for Mr Asher for sticking up his head,..doing his job and advocating for the very independence..of the reviews that..*he is meant to conduct.

If you wanted to silence..one of your critics,
if you wanted to shut/down..the ability
of an independent reviewer..*to not do their job,..to not embarrass you,..you would cut their funding,..

and that's what we've seen.

TONY JONES:..If you had been more subtle..with your questioning,
if you'd made your questions distant..in some way..from the ones that he sent you in that email,..could you have protected him?

SARAH HANSON-YOUNG:..Look,..I think it's..the questions
that I asked..were important to be put...I believed that

and I still fundamentally believe
this was information..that had to be/put..on the public record.

quote continues

I think ...

TONY JONES: But do you regret at all the way you put the questions, because when you look at the email and the questions side by side, it looks simply like collusion?

SARAH HANSON-YOUNG: I don't regret it, Tony. I was confronted with an option and I think it's pretty naive to think that politicians aren't confronted with these options on a daily basis.

You get information and you make a choice: is this information that should be in the public record or is it not? I made the decision that it was. I firmly believe it was.

Mr Asher believed that it was. And it's - the issue here is why did he have to go through this process? And one of the things that the Greens have said this week and one of the things we will continue to do is move for reform to enable a parliamentary committee to oversee the activities of the Ombudsman so that he can automatically be able to put to Parliament these issues, these concerns, and that there is some oversight.

Because it was put to me today, and I think this is a question that's worth considering: the independent Ombudsman has all these roles to review executive government and review government agencies, but his funding and his access to the Parliament is at the behest of the executive government.

So, let's actually try and do something to reform this system so this doesn't have to happen like this. In New South Wales even, the Ombudsman there has a Parliamentary committee that can oversee the activities so that the Ombudsman can come to them and say, "Look, this is what's going on, this is what I'm working on."

In New Zealand, in Britain, in South Africa even, in Thailand, this is how the Ombudsman's positions are managed, and I think that's something we should be looking at.
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2011/s3344730.htm

*OUG* I find your report somewhat disturbing. Scammed by Greenies you say?

..

Would you care to elaborate in the public interest?

..

" ... Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. ... "

(Who said that anyway, does anyone know?)

Dear DreamOn,

I think it was Lord Acton.

"If absolute power corrupts absolutely,
does absolute powerlessness make you pure?"
(Harry Shearer, American actor).

And as someone else asked - "Where does that leave God?"

It is a shame Asher felt he need to resign whether pushed or self-motivated.

I doubt if you will see many politicians calling for Sarah Hanson-Young's resignation. It would set a precedent for all Members and Senators who have put questions in Estimates proceedings based on discussions and influence from public servants (Doroth Dixers). What about scenarious such as the Godwin Grech 'Utegate' affair where the Liberal Party quite happily ignored established Codes of Conduct in obtaining information. Did Malcolm Turnbull resign?

I think it was Bob Katter who said of the two major parties '...same product, different brand' applies.

RObert's comments mirror mine for the most part especially the idea of transparency. What is wrong with public servants ensuring relevant questions are asked about the function of their departments. It shouldn't just be a privilege of the senior executive but for all public servants to be able to contribute to the process. Sometimes it is those who are working at the coalface who experience the effects of departmental funding and policy changes.

Why does everything 'government' have to be held in secret. Who is representing who?

I must say congrats to the person posting as Dream On, big improvement noted well done.
The dislike of major party's still there however.
And you said you are not up to speed on this issue.
OUG, MATE, Brother!
This bloke cut his own legs of.
He cheated!
Those of us who put the boot in to Turnbull, for beleiving a public servants lies, can not avoid this.
Hansen Young, a party proud to be different, telling us it is better, CHEATED!
The silly wrong, thing, to feel offended only if it is them others doing things wrong is a special blindness.
Again, if we found out Gillard or Abbott did this?