THE reversal of a decision three weeks ago to segregate those wearing the burqa and niqab in Parliament is a welcome step but it has raised some questions.
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One of those questions is whose advice — that up to 10 people were planning to protest wearing concealing garments — prompted the decision from Speaker Bronwyn Bishop and Senate president Stephen Parry.
Apparently there was no advice from ASIO, the Australian Federal Police or the parliamentary security operations manager, but Senator Parry has declined to tell a Senate estimates hearing where it came from.
Another question is whether Prime Minister Tony Abbott asked Mrs Bishop to rethink her decision, even though she now says she received no such request.
Advice from the Department of Parliamentary Services is that anyone wearing a burqa and trying to enter Parliament House will be asked to temporarily remove their facial covering to allow security staff to identify anyone banned from the building before they can enter with their covering in place and freely move about.
That seems to be a more appropriate response that should have been considered in the first place.
