Detainee arrested as Peter Dutton lashes out at Labor’s ‘incompetence’

Frustrations are growing over Labor’s handling of a cohort of released immigration detainees, after another man was arrested this week.

The government is once again under fire for its handling of released immigration detainees, after one man was arrested for breaching his visa conditions and another charged with assaulting a grandmother.

The opposition has renewed its attack on the government’s handling of the issue since 149 detainees were released after the High Court last year ruled that indefinite immigration detention was unlawful.

Many of those released had been convicted of serious crimes, including murder and rape.

One of those detainees has been charged with the assault and robbery of an elderly woman in her Perth home.

Ninette Simons received severe facial bruising and swelling after she was assaulted during a shocking home invasion at her Girrawheen home earlier this month. Credit: WA Police/Supplied

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pushed for Anthony Albanese to sack the ministers responsible, but the Prime Minister has backed in Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.

“It’s victims like we’ve seen in Perth and I think like we’ll see across the country … who are paying the price for the incompetence of the Albanese government and the two ministers,” Mr Dutton said on the Today show on Tuesday.

“They should be on your program this morning explaining what’s happening and apologising and giving you an assurance that it won’t happen again.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has again taken aim at the federal government over its handling of the High Court detainees issues. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Appleyard

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed his ministers responsible for the issue, and turned the attack back on Mr Dutton. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

He said they “can’t continue in their jobs” and demanded Mr Albanese sack the ministers, and also questioned why the government did not oppose the detainee’s bail when he appeared in court for a separate incident in February.

Asked on Tuesday afternoon whether he stood by his ministers, Prime Minister hit out at Mr Dutton’s “negativity”.

“They will be continuing in their roles, and it’s another day, another bit of negativity from Peter Dutton,” Mr Albanese said.

He also pointed to the “debacle” of an immigration system Mr Dutton had overseen as minister.

News broke on Monday that one of the released immigration detainee had appeared in court charged after an allegedly violent home invasion.

Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, 43, is alleged to be part of a trio charged over the home invasion and burglary which left 73-year-old Ninette Simons hospitalised with head injuries.

Detectives in Perth have charged two men and a woman with offences related to an alleged aggravated home burglary in Girrawheen. Picture: Supplied WA Police

On Tuesday, the Australian Federal Police revealed they had arrested and charged another of the detainees, a Sudanese-born Victorian man, who was charged with failing to comply with his strict visa conditions.

He has been charged with three counts of failing to comply with a curfew condition and one count of failing to ensure his electronic monitoring device “remains in good working order”, for which he faces up to five years imprisonment and a $93,000 fine.

The cohort was put on a “Bridging Visa R” visa, and are subject to strict conditions regarding curfews and electronic monitoring.

The government rushed through laws in the weeks following the decision, mandating electronic ankle monitors and requiring the group abide by curfews and other movement restrictions.

Questions have also been raised about why the government had not opposed bail for Mr Doukoshkan.

The Australian Border Force said it had been aware that an individual had been arrested by WA Police on April 28.

“The safety and security of the community remains the absolute priority for the Australian Border Force and Department of Home Affairs, and we will continue to work closely with our state and territory partners,” the spokesperson said.

Police have arrested another released immigration detainee. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Industry Minister Ed Husic said he was “deeply concerned” by the attack and indicated the government would “have more to say”. But the frontbencher said he was not interested in turning the attack into a political football.

“We have had to effectively clean up the mess and the neglect by the Coalition in this space but we are taking responsibility, we are taking those measures and we will always take the advice of authorities about what more can be done,” Mr Husic said.

Mr Albanese said it would be inappropriate to comment further “given the matter is under investigation before the police and the courts”.

It’s just the latest in a series of flashpoints over the government’s handling of the fallout of the High Court’s ruling in the NZYQ case last November which prompted the release of non-citizens into the community.

Preventive detention laws that would allow individuals to be held for up to three years at a time if they are deemed by a court to be an unacceptable risk to the community were also passed.

Last month, Labor tried and failed to rush through last minute laws which would see asylum seekers who have exhausted all legal avenues face a jail sentence of up to five years if they did not co-operate with an attempt to deport them.

It would have also allowed Mr Giles to block visa applications outside of Australia who do not accept their citizens being involuntarily returned, such as Iran.

The ministers tried to rush through legislation in the last sitting fortnight. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The proposal was ultimately delayed after the Coalition teamed up with the crossbench to send the laws to a Senate inquiry.

But Mr Dutton denied the delay put any of the responsibility back on the Coalition, arguing they’d pushed Labor to strengthen their position on the initial patch up laws last year.

“We supported the legislation. The law is in place now. And unfortunately, for whatever reason, this government decided not to oppose the bail application that was made in February,” he said.

“The government was warned about this. I don’t for the life of me understand why these people are still out on the street.

“So it’s a disaster and it’s of the government’s own making.”

Senate kingmaker Jacqui Lambie said it was critical the inquiry had time to get it right.

“Should Labor have got this right before Christmas time? You’re damn right they should have done,” she told Nine.

“That’s why we’ve had to take that extra four to six weeks before the next sitting to make sure that there is a Senate inquiry that goes on.

“So we actually get this right this time because the government could not … that’s what this comes down to.”

The senate inquiry will hand back its report on May 7.

Peter Dutton unleashed on Labor, accusing the government of ‘incompetence’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Appleyard

Meanwhile in Queensland, the AFP have revealed an Afghanistan-born man will appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with allegedly failing to comply with his visa mandated curfew conditions.

The AFP arrested and charged the 31-year-old man on Tuesday after locating him in Brisbane.

It will be alleged the man breached his Commonwealth visa conditions on two occasions in April by failing to comply with visa mandated curfew conditions.

The man has been charged with two counts of failing to comply with curfew conditions.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a $93,900 fine.

Originally published as Detainee arrested as Peter Dutton lashes out at Labor’s ‘incompetence’