Gerard Leslie Hand is a former Australian politician, who was a Labor

Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

 member of the Australian House of Representatives

Australian House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....

, representing the seat of Melbourne

Division of Melbourne

The Division of Melbourne is an Australian Electoral Division of Victoria. It is represented by Adam Bandt of the Australian Greens.Created at Federation in 1900 the division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election...

. He was Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in the Third Hawke Ministry

Third Hawke Ministry

The Third Hawke Ministry was the fifty-seventh Australian Commonwealth ministry, and held office from 24 July 1987 to 4 April 1990.Australian Labor Party-Cabinet:*Hon Bob Hawke, AC MP: Prime Minister...

, and Minister for Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs

Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Australia)

In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship is responsible for overseeing the Department of Immigration and Citizenship....

 in the Fourth Hawke Ministry

Fourth Hawke Ministry

The Fourth Hawke Ministry was the fifty-eighth Australian Commonwealth ministry, and held office from 4 April 1990 to 20 December 1991.Australian Labor Party-Cabinet:*Hon Bob Hawke, AC MP: Prime Minister...

 and First Keating Ministry

First Keating Ministry

The First Keating Ministry was the 59th Australian Commonwealth ministry. It was led by Paul Keating of the Australian Labor Party, and held office from 20 December 1991 to 24 March 1993.-Cabinet:*Hon Paul Keating, MP: Prime Minister...

.

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

Mandatory detention in Australia

Mandatory detention in Australia concerns the Australian federal government's policy and system of mandatory immigration detention active from 1992 to date, pursuant to which all persons entering the country without a valid visa are compulsorily detained and sometimes subject to deportation.In the...

 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

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...

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

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

. He is also a member of the Immigration Detention Advisory Group, providing advice to the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship

Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Australia)

In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship is responsible for overseeing the Department of Immigration and Citizenship....

on the services, accommodation and amenities at the immigration detention centres.