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April 7, 2025
Transcript – 2GB Ben Fordham Live
7 April 2025
E&OE
BEN FORDHAM: Allegra Spender is taking credit for hundreds of people being released from immigration detention. She claims it would never have happened without the Teals. Why would you be claiming credit? Especially when we know that many of these detainees have committed serious crimes since being released. Labor made the decision to loosen rules around detainees; it saw hundreds of dangerous non-citizens walk free. Allegra Spender has branded the changes one of the major successes of the Labor government. The member for Wentworth believes the contribution of the Teals cannot be underestimated. During an interview with the local magazine The Beast, they asked if some of the released detainees would still be locked up without the teals. She answered absolutely, and she's now told The Australian newspaper, I think the independents gave the government political cover to be able to deal with this. I think if you had Libs back in these seats, it would have been much harder for the government to do it. Talk about serving up an easy hit for the Coalition. James Paterson is the Shadow Minister for Home Affairs. He's on the line. James, good morning.
JAMES PATERSON: Good morning, Ben.
BEN FORDHAM: So if you had more seats, this would have been harder to do?
JAMES PATERSON: Well, I, for once, completely agree with Allegra Spender. If there were more Liberals in Parliament, particularly in Teal seats like Wentworth, then violent non-citizen criminals might still have been locked up and might still have been deported out of our country after they commit murders, rapes and child sex offences. Why she would want to take credit for it is completely lost on me.
BEN FORDHAM: We've had some of these detainees get out and then bash the living daylights out of old ladies.
JAMES PATERSON: That's right. Ninette Simons is a Perth grandmother who was the victim of a home invasion, which was allegedly committed by one of these released detainees. She was violently bashed and tied up and had her things stolen, allegedly by one of these detainees. I'm not sure she would be thinking it was a good thing that the Teals provided political cover for the Labor Party to release these people into the community. Let's remember they are not citizens, they were here on visas, they committed violent crimes, they went to jail, they had their visas cancelled, and then they were released into the community by Anthony Albanese and the Labor party.
BEN FORDHAM: I can only imagine, as I try to figure out what her motivation is in making these comments, I can only imagine that maybe these released detainees haven't committed any crimes in her suburb in her area of Wentworth.
JAMES PATERSON: Maybe that's right. But of the 300 detainees who've now been released, more than 100 of them have been charged with new offences in the community, among them dozens of murderers, rapists and child sex offenders. These are not small offences. These are very serious offences. One of them was even shot by police after they conducted a welfare check on him in Melbourne, because he had been violating the terms of his visa. He had breached it allegedly dozens of times. I don't think that's a good thing, and the people of Bruce in Melbourne, who could have become victims of those crimes, probably don't think it is a good thing either.
BEN FORDHAM: Can you help me here, James Paterson, and try to speculate why she's made these comments? Because I can't work it out.
JAMES PATERSON: If you scratch a Teal not far beneath the surface is really a Green, whether it's on the environment and climate change and energy, or whether it's on national security or community safety. Ultimately, what they really are is the ideology of the Greens, and they can't be trusted, particularly in a dangerous world, to keep our community safe.
BEN FORDHAM: Very strange indeed. Good to catch up with you. Thanks for joining us.
JAMES PATERSON: Thanks, Ben.
ENDS