Shane Ross (Independent)

I welcome Senator Mooney's comments. He has broken the silence on the Government benches regarding the unfortunate plight of the 19 year old Nigerian boy. It is important that a message goes out from the House that this is a humanitarian issue. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform can throw rules and bureaucracy at us in respect of this matter from whatever angle he chooses. However, from any moral standpoint, the decision to send a boy with these qualifications and ambitions who is about to sit his leaving certificate back home to a regime with questionable democratic principles is unjustifiable. I do not know what kind of a future awaits the boy here but it would be much brighter than his future in Nigeria.

The second issue I wish to address is that raised by Senator Mansergh about the banks. I completely agree with what he said. It is time the House examined the activities of banks, particularly when they are slashing and burning and cutting people's jobs willy-nilly. It is a good idea to reflect on why this happened. We are all to blame for allowing the banks to run a cartel for many decades.