ALP cedes power to Peter Dutton on detainee dangers

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Peter Dutton is running the political and legislative agenda from the Opposition Leader’s office while Anthony Albanese is in the US.

The government has completely caved to Dutton’s demands for tougher controls on the 84 criminals, including rapists, murderers and pedophiles, released from immigration detention. There is the potential for the total number of criminals and security risks to be released to exceed 400.

What’s more, Labor has not only accepted the opposition’s legislative changes to quell community fears but also conceded Dutton’s political assessment of the need for absolute urgency and the sense of crisis.

In practical and political terms the Albanese government has been caught with its pants down and handed leadership to Dutton because of its own failure to prepare for an adverse court decision and a complete misreading of the popular mood.

The Prime Minister’s angry and indignant dismissal of Dutton in parliament on Wednesday as being “beyond contempt” for attempting to condemn the government for failing to take a clear stand on anti-Semitism and protect the Australian community from “hardcore” criminals looks limp and misplaced after Labor rolled over in less than 12 hours.

The rout began officially on Wednesday night, only hours after Albanese’s attack on Dutton and his rejection of the plea “to stay in Canberra and parliament” until new laws were passed, when there was an announcement there would indeed be emergency legislation to tighten the visa conditions on the criminals already released.

Early on Thursday Labor rejected the Coalition’s proposed amendments designed to stop the released detainees getting jobs with children, going within 150m of a school or contacting their victims.

Dutton told parliament: “We’re not talking about some people who have had some indiscretion under the law. These are people who have committed serious offences and the likelihood of them reoffending is very, very high.

“I think it is completely and utterly unconscionable that the Prime Minister has not been here to deal with this matter. The safety and security of the Australian population is the first charge of any leader of this country, and this Prime Minister is missing in action.”

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil called on Dutton to accept the government’s legislation and said he was full of “bluff and bluster”.

But, as it became apparent the Senate could delay the government’s legislation without Coalition support, the ALP folded and acting Prime Minister Richard Marles, after agreement with Dutton, stood up in answer to a prearranged question from the Opposition Leader and accepted “in principle” the Coalition’s amendments.

Marles’ manner was calm, confident and credible as he announced the formal capitulation, and did not seek to attack Dutton; indeed, he thanked him for his co-operation, and proceeded to implement the practical policy to get the urgent laws through the parliament in less than 12 hours.

Marles can take personal credit for the measured way in which he handled the retreat and tried to limit the growing backlash and fallout going Labor’s way.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles had palpably failed to prepare any precautionary legislation, an abrogation of his ministerial duty and an absence of leadership from the cabinet and Prime Minister’s office.

But the real Labor error in this shemozzle is to have misread the politics of community fears, and for the PM it is to once again be caught overseas in his own travel bubble out of touch and with a policy of talking about domestic issues while overseas.