Qataris respond to strip-search oturage, Scott Morrison backs Marise Payne

Passengers from ten flights were subjected to invasive exams after a ‘shocking’ attempt to kill a baby girl at the airport in Doha.

Passengers walk at the Hamad International Airport in Doha. Picture: AFP

Scott Morrison has defended Foreign Minister Marise Payne’s decision to wait for a report into the alleged invasive physical examination of 13 Australian women at Doha Airport after a premature baby was found by authorities on October 2.

Senator Payne revealed at senate estimates she has not called Qatar’s foreign minister about the invasive procedures as she has not yet seen the authorities’ investigation into the allegations.

The Prime Minister said on Wednesday that both Qatar Airlines and the Qatari government had been made fully aware of how “appalled” he was at the allegations.

“We have been given assurances by the Qatari government and we will be provided with the results of their investigation, it’s important we can look at that before making a further response,” he said.

“There is no doubt in the mind of whether its Qatari airlines or the government, about Australia’s strong objections and views about this and I think those views are shared, widely, so we will make a further response.

“We will continue to take a strident approach on this, and we are appalled by what occurred.”

Marise Payne yet to speak to Qatari opposite

Earlier, Senator Payne revealed she has not yet sought to speak to her Qatari counterpart the over invasive searches of 18 female passengers taken off a Sydney-bound plane in Doha.

Senator Payne said Australian government officials in Doha and Australia were dealing with their Qatari counterparts, but she was awaiting an official report on the “very concerning and very distressing” matter before raising it with the country’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

Labor frontbencher Penny Wong told a budget estimates hearing she found it hard to believe Senator Payne would not have registered Australia’s condemnation of the searches directly to her Qatari counterpart.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne during estimates in Parliament House. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“I don’t understand why, given what happened to Australian citizens, that our objection to that and our concern about that was not registered by you to your counterpart at the earliest possible opportunity,” Senator Wong said.

“Isn’t it the least you could do, to pick up the phone and speak to your counterpart when you heard about this?”

Senator Payne said: “Senator, I had indicated through officials through the Qatari system our concerns, and indicated I wished to see the report as soon as possible so that I could understand what the Qatari system was saying about these events.

“They are very well aware about the issues that are of concern to us.”

She confirmed she did not personally speak to any Qatari officials until Monday, when she called the country’s ambassador to Australia, Saad Abdulla AL-Mahmoud. Senator Payne said she had also not spoken personally to Scott Morrison about the issue.

The Senate’s foreign affairs and defence committee heard women on ten flights were searched by Qatari authorities as they searched for the mother of the premature baby.

Of the 18 women searched in Qatar Airways’ flight QR908 to Sydney, 13 were Australian citizens and five were foreign nationals.

In a statement, the Qatari government expressed its regret over the searches. But it defended the decision saying its officials were searching for the parents of a baby girl found in an airport rubbish bin, “concealed in a plastic bag and buried under garbage”.

“The baby girl was rescued from what appeared to be a shocking and appalling attempt to kill her. The infant is now safe under medical care in Doha,” it said.

“This was the first instance of an abandoned infant being discovered in such a condition at HIA. This egregious and life-threatening violation of the law triggered an immediate search for the parents, including on flights in the vicinity of where the newborn was found.”

“While the aim of the urgently-decided search was to prevent the perpetrators of the horrible crime from escaping, the State of Qatar regrets any distress or infringement on the personal freedoms of any traveller caused by this action.

“His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar has directed that a comprehensive, transparent investigation into the incident be conducted. The results of the investigation will be shared with our international partners.”

With Richard Ferguson