June 3, 2024
Confusion over how Government is using drones to watch non-citizens
Drones are photographing and mapping the areas where former immigration detainees are living to ensure they are not near schools or other forbidden areas - but not tracking individuals.
The Government has repeatedly insisted that the 153 people released from immigration detention after the High Court NZYQ ruling were being constantly monitored.
About half have electronic ankle trackers and other monitoring efforts include curfews, reporting requirements and random house checks.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles also revealed that Border Force was "using drones to keep track of those people" the first time aerial surveillance had been mentioned.
Australian Federal Police later told an Estimates hearing they were not aware of drones being used. But the Government has continued to insist they are part of the operational efforts.
On Sunday, Cabinet minister Murray Watt said they were checking the locations and proposed accommodation of the non-citizens. "My understanding is that drones are being used as part of this operation, but more in the sense of monitoring the accommodation that people are living in, for example, ensuring that it's not too close to schools or other areas that they're not supposed to be living close to," he said.
Under laws rushed through Parliament in November after the High Court ruling, one of the conditions that can be imposed on the bridging visas for the cohort is that if they were convicted of an offence involving a child, they must not go within 200m of a school or childcare centre.
A Home Affairs spokesperson said authorities keeping tabs on the NZYQ cohort under Operation Aegis "may use aerial imagery from a variety of sources for operational planning purposes, for example to confirm the location of a BVR holder's accommodation".
Shadow home affairs minister James Paterson rubbished the notion that drones were being used for mapping.
"You don't need a drone to do that. That sounds like satellite imagery. It sounds like, frankly, something a 12-year-old would get on Google Earth," he said.
"What on earth is going on here? And why won't Andrew Giles be upfront about whether or not he just made this up or he accidentally revealed a secret drone program?" Mr Giles is also scrambling to fix up another immigration mess after it emerged his department failed to tell him the Administrative Appeals Tribunal was overturning visa cancellations for serious criminals and citing a ministerial direction to consider a person's ties to Australia.
The minister is working to reissue a new direction that places community safety as the highest-order consideration in such cases. He has also been re-cancelling visas.
