As it happened: Malcolm Turnbull’s son approached by overseas operatives; charges withdrawn for detainee released by High Court

Thanks for reading the blog on another very busy news day.

That’s where we’ll leave today’s live coverage. Here’s a wrap of what happened in national news.

• A former immigration detainee released by a landmark high court ruling was cleared of sex offences after being arrested and charged by Victoria Police earlier today in a case of mistaken identity.
• The arrest had been the source of a major political uproar, dominating much of today’s question time debate ahead of the Dunkley byelection on Saturday.
• The nation’s spy boss has exposed a sophisticated foreign interference operation that involved a former politician targeting a prime minister’s family.
• Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s son, Alex, has confirmed he was approached by suspicious overseas operatives.
• Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr addressed the House of Representatives in Canberra, saying Australian and Filipino interests are “intertwined”.
• Both Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and NSW Premier Chris Minns cancelled their respective annual iftar events, a celebratory cross-cultural dinner during Ramadan, amid community tensions over the war in Gaza.

Thanks again for joining us, the blog will be back bright and early tomorrow.

News of the former detainee’s arrest sparked political uproar in Canberra two days out from a crucial byelection in which the High Court’s decision has become a lightning rod for debate.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles fielded repeated questions from the opposition today.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

But Galliott said police were focused solely on the investigation. “We’re dealing with sexual offences and that’s all we’re focused on,” he said.

Galliott denied the former detainee’s mistaken arrest was “a blunder.”

“Based on the information the investigators had at the time, they made the proper arrest, they made the right decision,” he said.

Asked during the press conference whether he expected the man to be compensated over the wrongful arrest, he said: “I think it’s pretty early to talk about that.

“All we’re focusing on at this stage is releasing him from custody, and we’ll then have further conversations with him.”

Galliott said the GPS data from the ankle bracelet and the initial CCTV led investigators to believe the former detainee was in the area of the incidents.

“On further review of more CCTV today, it’s become apparent that the 44-year-old male was present in the area, but he’s unconnected with the offending that occurred, although the person identified and the 44-year-old male, very much alike in their appearance,” he said.

Victoria Police Commander Mark Galliott.Credit: Jason South

He said detectives broadened the area of the investigation, leading them to conclude another person was involved, and not the former detainee.

“Similar appearance, roughly 30s to 40s, and we’ll be providing a release with photos at a later time. Investigators are confident they will be able to track down that particular offender for these offences,” he said.

“During the course of the investigation earlier today, that further CCTV canvass occurred when investigators reviewed that during the course of today ... it then became apparent that it was a different person.”

Galliott said the former detainee was identified as the initial suspect following a report to police and, given his status, investigators sought information from Border Force officials.

“GPS tracking data was supplied to the investigators,” he said.

“This data placed the 44-year-old male in the vicinity of where these sex offences occurred, together with CCTV data obtained by the investigators.”

Galliott said the former detainee denied the offences when interviewed. However, detectives thought they had enough information to charge him.

“Today, detectives returned to an address from Richmond and identified a man on CCTV, who they now believe is the person that was involved in these incidents,” he said.

“That man has not been identified or arrested at this time.”

Galliott said that as soon as detectives became aware of the new suspect, they contacted the former detainee’s lawyers, and the “process has commenced to formally withdraw the charges and release the person from custody”.

He said the investigation into the two incidents in Richmond was ongoing.

Victoria Police Commander Mark Galliott has apologised to a former immigration detainee after police wrongly arrested him over a sexual assault in Richmond this week.

“With further evidence, it is clear the person arrested is not the offender. And for that we are sincerely sorry that this person has been detained,” Galliott told a press conference in Melbourne today.

In an address to the media, Galliott said GPS tracking from the electronic ankle monitor was one of the pieces of evidence investigators used to arrest and charge the former detainee.

“It’s become apparent that the 44-year-old male was present in the area, but he’s unconnected with the offending,” he said.

Police are now investigating someone else, whom Galliott said looked like the former detainee, over the crime.

“Yes, there was an error in arresting the person,” he said.

Historic reforms to strengthen the nation’s inadequate foreign bribery laws have finally passed the federal parliament.

The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Combatting Foreign Bribery) Bill makes it an indictable offence for an organisation to fail to prevent bribery of a foreign official, placing the onus on businesses to demonstrate they had put in place processes and procedures to stave off graft.

The Combatting Foreign Bribery Bill, introduced to parliament by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, has become law.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

If convicted, the body corporate would be fined either $27.5 million, three times the value of the benefit directly or indirectly obtained, or 10 per cent of the annual turnover during a 12-month period (whichever is greater).

“Foreign bribery is corruption and an insidious problem across the world,” Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said this afternoon.

“It harms communities, impedes economic development and undermines the rule of law. The [legislation] addresses longstanding key challenges with investigating and prosecuting cases of foreign bribery.”

Transparency International chief executive Clancy Moore welcomed the passing of the bill, saying the reforms were overdue and critical to strengthening Australia’s anti-corruption framework.

“In almost 25 years, only seven individuals and three corporations in Australia have been convicted of foreign bribery. This is just the tip of the iceberg, so these laws are long overdue,” Moore said.

He said the government should have considered introducing greater incentives for companies to self-report through a Deferred Prosecution Agreement scheme, as well as publishing statistics on foreign bribery investigations and barring companies convicted of foreign bribery from receiving government contracts.

The legislation will be reviewed in 18 months’ time.

Victoria Police Commander Mark Galliot addressed the media following a case of mistaken identity that saw sexual offence charges against a former immigration detainee released by the High Court ruling withdrawn.

You can watch the press conference back here:

The NSW premier’s iftar dinner has been cancelled this year amid simmering community tensions over the war in Gaza.

The event, which is a celebratory cross-cultural dinner during Ramadan, would have been in its 20th year.

NSW Premier Chris Minns.Credit: Rhett Wyman

But in news just in, a spokesperson for Premier Chris Minns’ office confirmed the dinner would not go ahead in 2024.

It was due to go ahead as recently as yesterday, but a number of Muslim community organisations had vowed to boycott it because of Labor’s stance on Israel and Palestine.

Other governments have been grappling with the same issue. As reported in the blog earlier today, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has also cancelled her annual iftar dinner.

Iftar dinners are expected to be fewer in number and smaller in scale this year because the Muslim community is grieving the mounting death toll in Gaza.

The United Nations has reported nearly 30,000 Palestinian deaths and about 1200 Israeli deaths since October 7 last year when the current hostilities commenced.

Victoria Police have stunningly withdrawn charges against a former immigration detainee after initially alleging a man released after a landmark High Court ruling had committed sexual offences.

It appears police mistook the identity of the man.

Earlier today, police released a statement stating a 43-year-old man had been charged with crimes in Melbourne months after he was released by the federal government in a politically contentious reaction to a court ruling last year.

The Coalition seized on the news and spent today’s parliamentary question time grilling Labor over the case and arguing the government had compromised community safety ahead of the Dunkley byelection.

Police released a statement late today confirming charges of stalking and sex assault had been revoked.

“Police have since notified the Richmond man’s legal representation and the process has commenced to formally withdraw the charges,” he said.

“Detectives today returned to an address in Richmond and identified a man on CCTV who they now believe is the person who was involved in the incidents.

“That man has not been arrested at this time.

“The investigation into the two incidents in Richmond remains ongoing.”

A censure motion against Greens Senator Janet Rice has passed in the upper house.

Rice held up a sign during Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr’s speech to the parliament that read, “Stop the human rights abuses”.

Greens Senator Janet Rice holds a sign as Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr speaks in parliament.Credit: AAP

During the censure motion, Rice spoke and made no apology for her actions:

The action I took in the house today was deliberate. And it was powerful.

And I did it on behalf of every Filipino person whose human rights had been abused by the government of Marcos and the government of President Duterte before him.

I was appalled that President Marcos was given the opportunity to address our parliament today.”

The Greens and independent senators Lidia Thorpe and David Pocock voted against the motion, but it easily passed with the support of the government and the Coalition.