‘Why do you still have a job?’: Andew Giles attacked on air

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has been bluntly asked “why do you still have a job” in a brutal grilling over the immigration detention mess.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has been bluntly asked “why do you still have a job” in a brutal grilling over the immigration detention mess that has led to murderers, rapists and criminals re-released into the community.

The furore follows last year’s NZYQ High Court ruling that the use of indefinite detention was unlawful and unconstitutional.

In the wake of that decision, 153 detainees including multiple sex offenders were released from immigration detention.

It has now emerged that at least two murderers or attempted murderers and 26 sex offenders released from immigration detention are not required to wear an electronic ankle monitor or observe a curfew.

A serial rapist who ­attacked 25 women and a child also kept his visa as a result of Mr Giles’s powers to grant leniency to foreign-born criminals.

Insisting he is “going to get to the bottom of this”, Mr Giles has claimed that the protocol he put in place has not been implemented as the government wrestles with a national scandal.

ABC Radio host Sabra Lane. Picture: Supplied

“A protocol that I put in place was not adhered to, that is entirely unsatisfactory,” Mr Giles told the ABC.

“As I said, I am focused on dealing with the urgent issue which is the cancellation consideration. I’ve put in place a new protocol and I want to get to the bottom of what happened.”

ABC Radio AM host Sabra Lane opened the interview with Mr Giles asking why the Prime Minister had not sacked him.

“Andrew Giles, many Australians would be thinking this morning, ‘Why do you still have a job?’” she said.

“You’ve had two years in the job and many people would be completely flummoxed by what’s happened in the recent weeks.”

Mr Giles, who has been minister since the election of the Albanese government, insisted the answer was that there was “so much to be done to repair a broken system”.

“A system that was fundamentally broken under Mr Dutton [as] minister,” he said.

“Just last night, I cancelled another visa which was revoked by the agency under the former direction. We believe that these decisions need to be guided by to clear principles for protection of the Australian community.”

One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson. Picture: Martin Ollman/NCA NewsWire

It comes after Pauline Hanson slammed Anthony Albanese and his Mr Giles as a “pair of bozos” who “lied” to the Australian public over the unfolding immigration detainee chaos.

The One Nation leader accused the Albanese government of creating a “hell of a mess” with Australia’s immigration policy.

Describing Mr Albanese as the “most pathetic, gutless Prime Minister I have ever known”, Ms Hanson said she “cringed” at his leadership.

“He’s a gutless wonder. He shows no compassion for what’s happening in this country. He was pathetic to listen to,” she said.

“I’m so angry with him in the leadership role of this nation that I cringe when I see him. I cringe when I hear their policies,” she said.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles. Picture: Martin Ollman/NewsWire

Australian Border Force commissioner Michael Outram defended the decisions not to impose stricter conditions on some of the released detainees, telling parliament this week there was a “big difference between some murders and other murders”.

In response, Liberal frontbencher James Paterson responded that “a murder is a murder” and asked why at least two murderers did not have ankle bracelets.

“They have no regard for the Australian people and their safety,” Ms Hanson told Sky News.

“They have no regard for the security of this nation because they put out a clear message to the people smugglers. We’re in a hell of a mess.”

Mr Albanese announced in Question Time on Wednesday that he would revise Directive 99, that changes to the rules to make “ties to Australia” a primary consideration during visa determinations.

It has now emerged that the ministerial directive allowed a Sudanese man known as RCWV, who self-identifies as Aboriginal, to ask the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to repeal a decision to cancel his visa after he had committed a string of serious criminal offences.

Australian Border Force commissioner Michael Outram. Picture: Martin Ollman/NCA NewsWire

“We’ve seen that we’re not seeing the common sense approach that Australians should expect, nor are we seeing the focus on community safety,” Mr Giles said.

“But as the Prime Minister also made clear in Question Time, there were very many issues that clearly related to the application of the former directions issued under ministers in the former government, including, of course, Peter Dutton when he was the Minister of State.

“The new revised direction will make it abundantly clear that community safety is a consideration that outweighs all other considerations … Making sure that that is effective is obviously something that I’m approaching with a laser-like focus.”

Ms Hanson said Mr Albanese should dump Mr Giles from the portfolio.

“He has to go. Everyone keeps calling for it, but Albanese is protecting him, so it’s his mate. He’s protecting him because they think alike,” she said.

“And that’s what tells me that they both think alike. Albanese won’t get rid of Giles because Giles is thinking exactly the same way as Albanese.”