February 20, 2025
RON WILSON: Three individuals will be sent to Nauru on 30 year visas with the possibility of more individuals being transferred in the future. The cohort of former immigration detainees who were found to have committed serious crimes has raised significant concerns about community safety, with at least 65 of those individuals having re-offended since their release. Coalition Home Affairs spokesman Senator James Paterson is on the line right now. James, good morning.
JAMES PATERSON: Good morning, Ron.
WILSON: Look, this just seems like there's a word I could use, and I can't use it on radio, but it just seems far too little too late. Just three individuals being relocated just seems totally insufficient.
PATERSON: I think you're exactly right, Ron. You hit the nail on the head. Three individuals are to be sent to Nauru. That leaves 279 other violent non-citizens free in our community, many of whom, as you say, have been charged with new offences since they were released into the community by the Albanese government. 65 of them have been charged with such offences, and the government has not used once the emergency powers rushed into Parliament in December 2023, which gives them the ability to preventatively detain anyone who poses a risk to the Australian community. Not one application has been put to the courts to preventatively detain anyone.
WILSON: Well, with 65 already re-offending, you would have to think that they are a real risk to the Australian community. Why aren't they being properly monitored, even detained?
PATERSON: Well, this is a highly recidivist cohort, as you say. Many of them have offended since they've been released into the community. And we've heard about some of those crimes in the media, including at Perth grandmother who was brutally bashed in an alleged home invasion involving one of these released detainees, among many other serious violent offences. I cannot understand why, in the 16 months since this legislation was passed, the Albanese government has not used it once. And Tony Burke, in his press conference to announce the Nauru deal, effectively waved the white flag on preventive detention, said it was too hard and they weren't going to bother trying. I think that is an abrogation of the responsibility the government owes to the Australian people. The first and most sacred duty is to protect us, and they have failed to do so.
WILSON: Tony Burke has actually failed to reveal any details, certainly publicly, of the deal that was done with Nauru. We are exporting a major problem onto that tiny Pacific nation. Do you have any idea of what the deal was to get Nauru to take them?
PATERSON: We have absolutely no idea what the deal was. The government is not being transparent about this in any way, shape or form. And while we voted for the legislation, when we supported in principle the right for the Australian government to enter into arrangements like this, it's very hard to know whether or not this particular arrangement is in Australia's national interest because we have no idea what the terms of it are. Has the Australian government agreed to take anyone else back into Australia in exchange for Nauru taking these people? Have they agreed to pay the Nauruan government for this? If so, how much of that agreed to pay them? None of this is transparent, and I think the Australian public has a right to know.
WILSON: Well, the other thing is, do you have any idea at this stage how many more are set to be resettled in Nauru?
PATERSON: No, we don't. And that's a really important question that must be answered because as I said earlier, there are 279 who remain in Australia even after these three are removed. And included among them are a dozen murderers, dozens of child sex offenders and rapists and other violent offenders. And unless the Nauruan government is proposing to take all of them, we will either have to deal with them continuing to be in our country or we'll have to find other countries who are willing to engage in this sort of arrangement and take them off our hands. And the government has outlined no plans to deal with these other 279 non-citizen violent criminals.
WILSON: The other big news, of course, overnight, ASIO's threat assessment speech revealed some very shocking details about foreign governments plotting to even physically harm people living here in Australia. Mike Burgess made all these revelations. What's your response to what you heard from Mike Burgess?
PATERSON: Look, I'm very troubled by this threat assessment, even by the standards of the ASIO Director-General. This is very bleak and very sobering, and particularly alarming for Australians will be the revelation that foreign governments have tried to harm Australians on Australian soil as well as lure Australians overseas to potentially kill them. That's totally and utterly unacceptable and we need a very robust response. I'm also very worried about his forecast of potential foreign interference in our upcoming elections. We cannot tolerate that. And equally, his observation that it's unlikely that the antisemitic terror crisis in our country has even plateaued, let alone peaked. That will be further alarming news for our Jewish community.
WILSON: Well, look, you've been very outspoken on the whole antisemitic issue. In fact, your Melbourne offices were even graffitied at the end of last month. Police have been looking for the offenders. Is there any update on that search for whoever carried out that attack on your offices?
PATERSON: No, I haven't had any further updates from police, and they are seeking the assistance of the public. They have published CCTV footage and images of the alleged perpetrator. He was not in any way disguised or masked, and so his face is visible. So they're appealing for assistance from the public. And I hope people do come forward and assist them because I think it's unlikely this is the only offence this person has engaged in. He could have engaged in graffiti or targeting of other MP's officers or other community centres. And people like that need to face the full consequences of the law.
WILSON: And rather, Clive Palmer has blustered into the political scene yet again. Just in general terms, what's your reaction to what you heard from Clive Palmer yesterday?
PATERSON: Look, Clive is a political entrepreneur, and this would be another attempt by him to elect people to the Parliament. He, like any other Australian, has a right to participate in our democratic system and put forward whatever agenda he seeks. I'm not sure it will earn significant support at the upcoming election, but that's for him to test for the Australian public.
WILSON: All right. Look, I appreciate you coming on and speaking with us this morning. A lot to talk about today. That's the Coalition Home Affairs spokesman, Senator James Paterson. James, thank you so much.
PATERSON: Thanks, Ron.
ENDS
