November’s High Court ruling on the permanent detention of non-citizens appears to have cost Labor politically, with a new poll showing a sharp rise in concern over immigration, and an equally sharp downgrade in the government’s perceived competency on the issue.

This is despite the government rushing in tough laws to try to deal with the more than 150 people forcibly released by the High Court, and the more recently released migration review that pledged to return migration to pre-pandemic levels and stamp out the rorting of student visas.