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November 28, 2023
NEIL MITCHELL: Shadow Home Affairs Spokesman Senator Paterson. Good morning.
JAMES PATERSON: Good morning Neil.
MITCHELL: You well, is there any reason this person couldn't be named, and a photograph issued inside or outside the parliament?
PATERSON: Well, that's up to the Minister for Home Affairs or the Minister for Immigration to defend. We don't know who this person is, what country they're from, what crime they might have committed or what reason their visa was cancelled on character grounds. But we do know they pose some risk to the community because the Minister for Immigration has decided that they should wear an ankle bracelet and the legislation that the parliament passed a few weeks ago says the only reason that someone should not wear an ankle bracelet is if the minister determines that they're not a risk to the community. So, the Minister for Immigration obviously believes this person does pose a risk. So, I don't buy this comment from the Border Force or the Federal Police that there's no risk. There is a risk and by definition if they've refused to wear an ankle bracelet and have now absconded in the community and we have no idea where they are I think that the prime example case that they are a real risk.
MITCHELL: Well, is there any legal reason why their details and photographs should not be released publicly?
PATERSON: None that I'm aware of. I think the federal government needs to be much more transparent about this. I believe the public deserves to know. Remember, this is a non-citizen of our country who in normal circumstances would be deported. They haven't been able to be deported because no country will take them due to the nature of the offence they committed or the character provisions of the act that they violated. But why on earth should the public be kept in the dark while this person is out free in the community completely unrestricted?
MITCHELL: Would the minister know who the person was?
PATERSON: Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind that the Minister for Home Affairs and the Immigration Minister know the identity of this person, know the offence they committed, knows which state they're in. They could at least provide more detail than they have, even if they feel they can't identify the person they could be able to provide a lot more information than they have.
MITCHELL: But I can't see why we couldn't, name them, have a photograph, their full background, if you see this person running border control.
PATERSON: I agree with you, Neil, and I think it's evidence again, further evidence, that this government is not taking community safety seriously, they've presided over 141 people being released to a community. They are now presiding over four of them refusing to wear ankle bracelets. One of them they can't even locate.
MITCHELL: But we do know where the other three are, do we?
PATERSON: We do know where the other three are, but at the moment we don't know what their status is, only that they've been referred to the police for possible prosecution because they refused. When Border Force turned up to fit an electronic tracking device on them, why have they refused? Who are these people? What crimes are they committed?
MITCHELL: Of course, quite rightly, there's arm's length from police. But is the government able to say to the Federal Police, you should release this?
PATERSON: I think they should explore all lawful options, including naming this person publicly to help us identify them, because otherwise the community is in the dark and the risk is increased. We should want this person to be found as quickly as possible to have that ankle bracelet fitted, or even get better charged with violating the provisions of their visa and put back in detention away from the community.
MITCHELL: Thank you very much, Senator James Paterson, Shadow Home Affairs Spokesman.
ENDS
