Career
He was in the Third Hawke Ministry, and in the Fourth Hawke Ministry and First Keating Ministry. As, 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. 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.
Since retiring from politics in 1993, Hand has represented Australia before the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and a round table discussion on refugees organised by the Government of Thailand. 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.