February 12, 2024
CHRIS REASON: An alarming set of numbers, whichever way you look at them. Seven murderers, 37 sexual predators, 16 domestic violence offenders. The details learned about the criminals released into the community following the High Court's immigration ruling three months ago, the Home Affairs Department revealed this new information on 149 detainees freed after the decision. Nearly half were previously convicted of violent offending, kidnapping and armed robbery. 24 have been charged with crimes since their release. 36 have been told they don't need to wear ankle bracelets. So far, the government hasn't used its emergency powers to send any high risk offenders back into detention. Well, the Opposition's Home Affairs Spokesman, James Paterson, joins me now. The Prime Minister says the government hasn't use its new emergency powers because there's no point in putting in an application that's not successful. First of all, your reaction to the Prime Minister's position.
JAMES PATERSON: Yet more excuses from Anthony Albanese for his failure to act to protect the community. The parliament rushed through the parliament before Christmas, special laws that allowed the government to preventatively detain those who pose a risk to the community. And yet not one application has been made to the court to re-detain these people, to commit to protecting the community. And the result of that has been these people, while out in the community, have re-offended.
REASON: And is there a chance that if they had applied those rules and got those people inside, that those reoffences wouldn't have occurred?
PATERSON: It's not just a chance. It's a certainty, if the Prime Minister actually had prioritised enforcement of this legislation, if he had actually given the resources required to the department that they could make these applications to the court, these people would have been off the streets and not doing any harm in the community. But instead because he has just let this run and run at a leisurely pace, none of those people are off the street, and all of them pose a risk to the community right now.
REASON: The Prime Minister, though, argues that there needs to be a necessarily high bar, a barrier two to these laws. They have to be as tough and vigorous as they are, and hence there's no point in going down that path unless you're going to get success. I mean, he does have a point, doesn't he?
PATERSON: Absolutely. There should be a high bar, but it shouldn't be so high as it prevents the government from taking any action for two months. But really, I think that's an excuse and a distraction. It hasn't been a priority for this government. At every step of the way, they've been caught napping on the job, not being ready, not being ready for the High Court's decision, not being ready when the opposition called on them to introduce this legislation, and now not being ready to enforce this legislation. It's just a cavalcade of excuses from this government and the Prime Minister to cover up his weakness and his slowness on national security.
REASON: So hypothetically here, we've got a bunch of Australians that would have committed the same crimes, who are now out in the community having served their time. How does this case differ?
PATERSON: The important difference is these people are not Australian citizens, and they wouldn't have a valid visa to be here in our community because of the crimes they committed. If it wasn't for the ruling of the High Court, and the High Court has only found that they have to be in the community because no other country in the world will take them. Their crimes are so serious that they can't be deported. Normally, they would be deported for the crimes they've committed and so it's obviously different. And the community does need to be protected from these unlawful non-citizens have committed serious offences and pose an ongoing risk to the community.
REASON: And, Senator, while we have your damning review has found the department, under the leadership of Peter Dutton, as Home Affairs Minister, was paying dodgy companies suspected of bribery and money laundering, was offshore processing out of control under the Coalition?
PATERSON: Well, I note the government has leaked this report ahead of Senate estimates selectively to a journalist to probably try and distract from this news about the NZYQ cohort today. But most importantly, that report found that no Minister is culpable in the granting of any of these contracts because Ministers are not involved in that. And Peter Dutton was not even briefed by the Department of Home Affairs on these issues, so he can't be held personally responsible. It's good that recommendations have been made, but as Denis Richardson found, the responsibility for that falls with the department itself.
REASON: Alright, Senator Paterson, we appreciate your time tonight. Thank you.
PATERSON: Thank you.
ENDS
