Bishop denies PM nixed face-veil ban

 

SPEAKER Bronwyn Bishop has backed down on a controversial decision on face coverings but insists it wasn't at the direction of Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

IT'S unclear what prompted the October 2 decision to segregate burqa and niqab wearers at Parliament, but it wasn't advice from security.
Visitors now have to temporarily remove facial coverings so they can be identified when they enter Parliament House. But Mrs Bishop's backdown means they won't have to sit behind glassed off areas in the chambers alongside visiting schoolchildren. That policy sparked an outcry after which Mr Abbott told reporters on October 3: "I asked the Speaker to rethink that decision." But Ms Bishop told parliament on Monday she had not received a request to reconsider from Mr Abbott. "In a word, no," she said. Mr Abbott's office said while the prime minister had made his views clear, it was not a formal request as the decision was always one for Ms Bishop and Senate President Stephen Parry.


Meanwhile, a senate estimates committee was told on Monday the burqa decision came after a police officer received word from a Nine news crew on October 2 that burqa-wearing protesters planned to enter the building. The information was passed to parliament's security director, Sean Giddings, who advised senior parliamentary officials that no security changes were needed. However within hours a hastily-arranged meeting in the Speaker's office ended with the announcement that burqa wearers would be isolated behind glass. The estimates hearing was told the meeting was handed two options, compiled by the Department of Parliamentary Services, on how to deal with the protest.

 But a third option to isolate the protesters was added during the meeting. Mr Giddings was not invited to attend and only learned of the decision after it was made. Two of those at the meeting, Usher of the Black Rod Rachel Callinan and DPS secretary Carol Mills, confirmed they had not come up with the third option. Senator Parry and Ms Bishop say the move was always intended to be an "interim" measure to deal with an urgent security matter on the day. Ms Bishop told parliament on Monday she would have been derelict in her duty if she had not acted quickly on October 2. Labor senator John Faulkner said the security arrangements were "perplexing". The Speaker has now taken charge of parliament's physical security, chairing a new task force involving police, ASIO and the prime minister's department. Another body, the security management board, is in charge of other aspects of parliament security. The Palmer United Party's Jacqui Lambie hit out at the decision to overturn the face-covering restrictions, saying it would encourage extremists to commit "acts of violence against Australians".