March 27, 2024
Nearly half of the dangerous non-citizens released into the community are not wearing electronic ankle bracelets, with the government facing claims of a “cover-up”.
Of the 152 dangerous non-citizens released into the community, 73 are not wearing electronic ankle bracelets which allow them to be monitored.
The Department of Home Affairs confirmed on Wednesday night that 152 former detainees had been released into the community following the High Court’s landmark “NZYQ” decision last November, and that 79 of those individuals were wearing electronic monitoring devices.
Michael Thomas, a department official responsible for operational compliance, told a spill-over Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday night that, of the 152 individuals released, “79 of those … have an electronic monitoring condition on their visa”.
“I will have to do the maths in my head on the rest … So, 73. Apologies.”
Labor senator Murray Watt told the hearing that the removal of the requirement for electronic monitoring had been based on the advice of an expert panel which was established by the government in December.
“It is worth remembering that this is based on the advice of the Community Protection Board,” Senator Watt said.
Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson asked what crimes the 73 individuals who were no longer being monitored had committed, including how many were “murderers or alleged murderers”.
But department officials did not have that information.
Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram also said the individuals released into the community represented “such small numbers of people” and there were privacy concerns relating to the NZYQ cohort.
“We are talking 150 people,” he said. “There’s 13,000 a month released from prison.”
Senator Paterson also asked whether any of the 37 sex offenders among the 152 individuals in the NZYQ cohort were no longer being electronically monitored.
He said it appeared officials were trying to “obfuscate” and were not directly answering questions, despite being given prior notice about what they would be asked.
Senator Watt said the allegation that public servants were obfuscating was not “fair”.
But Senator Paterson doubled down. He said Australians who were watching the hearing would think there was an “apparent attempt to cover-up and protect the government’s interests”.
Senator Watt replied it was an “outrageous suggestion” that public servants were involved in a cover-up.
