‘Predictable and avoidable’ but Peter Dutton says more freed detainee attacks highly likely

Peter Dutton says attacks by freed detainees were “predictable” and “avoidable” and warned more were likely – and David Speirs slammed the situation as a “catastrophic failure”.

Federal opposition leader Peter Dutton has warned more “attacks” are highly likely given the number of convicted criminals released into the community amid the detainee fiasco.

“This was all predictable and it was avoidable,” Mr Dutton told FIVEaa on Tuesday morning, adding the government should have, warning the government should have prepared legislation in advance of the High Court decision that allowed the release of detainees.

It follows The Advertiser’s exclusive breaking story on Monday night that Aliyawar Yawari, 65, was charged with indecent assault at the Pavlos Motel in Adelaide’s northern suburbs on Monday.

The convicted woman-basher was one of 147 people released after the High Court ruled indefinite detention was unlawful.

Yawari left detention in WA just three weeks ago and had previously been labelled a “danger to the Australian community”. He was one of two former detainees arrested over the weekend.

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton has called for heads to roll in the immigration fiasco. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

SA opposition leader David Speirs described the situation as a “catastrophic failure”. Picture: Emma Brasier

“Another Australian has fallen victim to one of these individuals. That’s the allegation that’s been made.

“The likelihood of attacks and given the cohort, the nature of these people, the high degree of viciousness of some of the offending, the very high likelihood that there will be more victims.”

Mr Dutton said Immigration Minister Andrew Giles had made “catastrophic mistakes in his decision-making”.

Mr Dutton escalated his party’s calls for Anthony Albanese to sack Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.

SA opposition leader David Speirs on Tuesday called for South Australians to be told more about the detainees – labelling the alleged indecent assault a “catastrophic failure”.

“Somehow we’re in this situation where detainees were released from government and six of those ended up in South Australia,” Mr Speirs said.

“We’re calling for the South Australian premier to get out in front of the cameras and talk to people about what’s going on and what protections are in place to make sure these former detainees are being properly surveyed, they’re being kept an eye on, if criminal records exist that they are made known.

“I’m calling for South Australians to know exactly who these people are and what they’ve done in the past.

“We’ve only got six but that is six too many.

“We had a minister in parliament who mocked the Opposition a few weeks ago for asking questions about this – well, he’s got a lot of answers to provide today.”

Before coming to Adelaide after his release, Yawari was staying in a motel in Perth, where he told media he was “happy” to be free after being jailed for four years and then put into immigration detention.

“I just want a new job,” he said.

An SA Police spokesman, when asked if Yawari was being monitored once in Adelaide, declined to comment and directed inquiries to the Australian Border Force.

The ABF was contacted for comment.

It is understood Yawari immigrated to Australia from Afghanistan in 2010, and soon found a job in Bordertown.

In 2013, the father of seven was convicted of assault but acquitted of rape and received a suspended prison sentence.

Originally published as ‘Predictable and avoidable’ but Peter Dutton says more freed detainee attacks highly likely