Gerard Leslie Hand (born 30 June 1942) is a former Australian politician, who was a Labor member of the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of ...

, representing the seat of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

. He was Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs in the Third Hawke Ministry, and Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs in the Fourth Hawke Ministry and First Keating Ministry.

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs

As Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Hand notably clashed with the Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, outspoken Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins, and Perkins resigned from the department in 1988 after being accused of misadministration.

Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs

Gerry Hand was the immigration minister who, in 1992, introduced the controversial policy of mandatory detention for illegal arrivals and asylum seekers.

I believe it is crucial that all persons who come to Australia without prior authorisation not be released into the community. Their release would undermine the Government's strategy for determining their refugee claims or entry claims. Indeed, I believe it is vital to Australia that this be prevented as far as possible. The Government is determined that a clear signal be sent that migration to Australia may not be achieved by simply arriving in this country and expecting to be allowed into the community.

Since retiring from politics in 1993, Hand has represented Australia before the

United Nations High Commission for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrat ...

and a round table discussion on refugees organised by the Government of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. He is also a member of the Immigration Detention Advisory Group, providing advice to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship on the services, accommodation and amenities at the immigration detention centres.The IDAG Members
Department of Immigration and Citizenship (Australia) In 1995, the Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Robert Ray suggested Hand as a possible replacement to Barry Jones as President of the ALP but this suggestion never eventuated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hand, Gerry 1942 births Living people Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Melbourne Members of the Australian House of Representatives 20th-century Australian politicians