Albo’s government failing tests of transparency, competency in latest detainee disaster

Call them the three wise monkeys of the detention disaster: Clare O’Neil, Michael Outram and Reece Kershaw see nothing, hear nothing, and most of all, keep telling voters nothing.

It would be funny if it were not so serious.

The Albanese government, which swept to power on promises of competence and transparency, now appears capable of neither.

Exhibit A: The appalling saga of its bungled release of dozens – hundreds – of worst of the worst criminals from immigration detention, that has now seen at least one serious offender refuse an electronic ankle monitor and disappear into the community.

So much for transparency: The government has stayed shtum about the problem, with the press having to prise information loose to keep a rightfully alarmed populace informed.

No details have been forthcoming from home affairs minister Clare O’Neil.

It’s the same for the AFP: No comment, with chief Reece Kershaw saying Monday they were still trying to contact the man in question.

Three monkeys? AFP boss Reece Kershaw, left, home affairs minister Clare O’Neil, and ABF head Michael Outram. Pictures: News Corp

The Australian Border Force and its boss Michael Outram? Much the same.

Call them the three wise monkeys of the detention disaster: See nothing, hear nothing, and most of all, keep telling the voters nothing.

The “privacy” of the released detainee was invoked by bureaucrats batting off journalists’ questions.

Oh, but communications minister Michelle Rowland has promised there might be some more information soon.

This, of course, the same side of politics that used to sneer at then-prime minister Tony Abbott’s refusal to talk about “on water operations” relating to his government’s stop the boats program.

And as far as competence, well, the story of the past few weeks tells the tale.

The fact that Opposition leader Peter Dutton had to lead Labor to legislate at least some controls on the released detainees tells you much.

An unidentified Afghani man who confirmed he was released from immigration detention as part of the High Court ruling on indefinite detention, pictured outside a the Arena Hotel in Chullora. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

The fact that correspondence reveals that contrary to her claims that they thought the government was likely to win its case in the High Court, Clare O’Neil’s office tried to offload a Rohingya man who raped a ten-year-old to a number of other countries to avoid the risk of the judgment tells you everything else.

And let’s be really clear here, too.

These are not people who racked up unpaid parking tickets or got into a couple of bar fights.

While we so far don’t know exactly what the fellow who refused an ankle monitor and has disappeared did, or to whom, or under what circumstances, we know about many others.

Tony Kellisar, for example, was released on Friday.

Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw.

An Iranian refugee, Kellisar was sentenced to 22 years in prison and had his visa revoked after he killed his partner and tried to dissolve her body in acid.

Another refugee is not being sent back to Malaysia because he might face the death penalty for the murder of a pregnant woman and the disposal of her body with military grade explosives.

Australia’s detention regime was always going to face challenges, and the sort of outcome we have seen from the High Court is exactly what Labor and the left with their broad distaste for border protection have been aiming for with the appointment of progressive justices.

That they were not prepared for this eventuality is as inexcusable as their management of the fallout.

Originally published as Albo’s government failing tests of transparency, competency in latest detainee disaster