By Angus Thompson, Heather McNeill and Olivia Ireland
The Albanese government is facing questions about why a former immigration detainee previously accused of breaching his curfew multiple times had stopped wearing an ankle monitor when he allegedly violently assaulted a terrified Perth couple during a home invasion.
The Coalition accused Immigration Minister Andrew Giles and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil of hiding on Tuesday, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the attack allegedly carried out by Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, 43, was a matter for state authorities.
Ninette Simons was savagely assaulted in her home.Credit: Police Media
Doukoshkan is one of three men accused of an attack on Ninette and Philip Simons at their home in Girrawheen, in Perth’s northern suburbs on April 16, after allegedly posing as police officers and saying they had a warrant to search the home.
He is among 150 immigration detainees released after the High Court outlawed indefinite detention in November, a decision that led the government to create new laws that placed some of the detainees under strict conditions including curfews and electronic monitoring.
During his bail application in February for allegedly breaching his curfew, the court was told Doukoshkan was wearing an ankle monitoring bracelet, but sources with knowledge of his circumstances said he was not required to wear it at the time of the home invasion, raising questions about why he was no longer being tracked.
Doukoshkan was among 149 former detainees who were subject to invalid bridging visas, an error the government has since remedied.
Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan said Giles must explain if the replacement visa issued to Doukoshkan required him to wear a bracelet.
Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said the whole reason the visa scheme was put in place was to protect the community.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has been accused of hiding by the opposition.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“It is frankly unbelievable that someone who is alleged to have breached their visa conditions multiple times … was apparently roaming free in the community without electronic monitoring,” he said.
In February, Kuwait-born Doukoshkan was bailed by a magistrate after being accused of breaching his curfew conditions multiple times, but those allegations were withdrawn because Doukoshkan was among 149 former detainees who were subject to invalid bridging visas, an error the government has since remedied.
According to court records, Commonwealth lawyers did not oppose bail on those allegations, but comment has been sought from Giles’ office.
Philip Simons, 76, said the men tied him up during the alleged April 16 home robbery, while 73-year-old Ninette, a recent cancer survivor, was allegedly assaulted. She told media she thought she was going to die.
The three men allegedly fled the home with $200,000 worth of jewellery and other items. After a week-long manhunt, police arrested three people in relation to the incident at the weekend.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday his thoughts were with the couple, adding the fresh charges were a state matter.
“The state schemes are run by the states, by definition, as well, but given the matter is under investigation before the police and the courts, it’s inappropriate to comment,” he said.
Speaking to ABC Radio National on Tuesday night, Giles declined to comment on the specifics of the case and said bail was a matter for the relevant prosecuting authorities, adding it should be free of political interference.
“We are continually looking at everything that we can do that will assist us, and our law enforcement agencies in particular, to maintain the safety of the community. We’ll keep looking at that. And as I said earlier, we’ve got a bill before the parliament that would further strengthen our legal framework to deal with some of the issues that are at play here,” he said.
West Australian Premier Roger Cook said the state needed to continually look at its bail laws to see if they met community standards, adding: “We want the Commonwealth to play its role in keeping the community safe.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has called for the sacking of two government ministers.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
But Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Albanese should sack both Giles and O’Neil.
“Minister Giles is nowhere to be seen, minister O’Neil is in witness protection, she’s not coming out to face the media,” he said.
“It’s clear to most Australians, in fact, every Australian except for Anthony Albanese, that these ministers can’t continue in their jobs. They’ve created a situation, they’ve made decisions, which obviously lead to a situation where Australians are at risk.”
With Hamish Hastie and Rebecca Peppiatt
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