Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, my question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to reports today of a special unit of Australian immigration officials being flown in to Indonesia from around the region for the fast-track processing of the 78 Oceanic Viking asylum seekers. Prime Minister, how many other asylum seekers in the region have access to a special unit of immigration officials flown in to process their claims under a special deal?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Curtin for her question, and I go to the Ronaldson doctrine, which says, ‘Make sure you pursue stories which take into account special interest groups getting undeserved handouts.’ The Ronaldson doctrine then says:

You don’t get news stories by trying to change perceptions, you get them by reinforcing stereotypes.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance. The Prime Minister was asked a specific question about the special deal—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business will resume his seat! On the question of relevance, the Prime Minister knows that he has to respond to the question. The Prime Minister is responding to the question.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I am always taken by the sensitivity with which they respond to the Ronaldson doctrine when it is rendered here. I would have thought, when it was emailed out from the office of the Leader of the Opposition, and coming from Senator Ronaldson’s senior staffer, that they would all own it with pride.

Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Energy and Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Randall interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Canning is not assisting. The Prime Minister will direct his remarks to the question.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question was asked about mobile team visits. I draw this to the member for Curtin’s attention. Mobile team visits have been in operation since 2003. Furthermore, mobile team visits have so far been conducted in the following locations—a number of these were under the previous government—in Beirut, in Nairobi, in Pretoria, in Cairo, in Bangkok and in Jakarta. Furthermore, for the information of the honourable member, there were 14 MTVs, as they are called, conducted in 2005-06 in Beirut, Nairobi, Pretoria, Cairo and Bangkok; 12 in 2006-07; 11 in 2007-08; five in 2008-09; and six so far in the 2009-10 period. I thank the honourable member for her question.