Detainee action ‘too little, too late’, says Coalition
As Labor announces a community protection board to advise on redetaining foreign criminals, the Coalition says it has been ‘shamed into action’.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles will take advice from the Australian Border Force, public servants and former law enforcement officials on whether to redetain foreign criminals released into the community, sparking Coalition accusations the government had done “too little, too late”.
Labor announced on Tuesday it had established a “community protection board” to make recommendations on what restraints were appropriate for more than 140 freed immigration detainees following the NZYQ High Court decision.
Measures available include preventive detention, community safety supervision orders, electronic bracelets and curfews, and tougher visa conditions.
The board, which met in Canberra on Monday but was not unveiled until Tuesday, is made up of ABF, Department of Home Affairs and former law enforcement officials.
“The Albanese government is strengthening its community safety framework by establishing the community protection board to provide evidence-based recommendations regarding the management of individuals required to be released from immigration detention by the High Court,” Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Mr Giles said.
“The board will advise ABF Commissioner (Michael Outram) and the Minister for Immigration on management of individuals in the group released due the decision of the High Court.”
Peter Dutton said not establishing the board until this week meant detainees would not be put back in detention until after Christmas.
Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan called on Mr Giles to explain how many “hardcore criminals” he would seek to redetain, noting no applications to use the new preventive detention laws had been lodged.
“Today, Labor announced a community protection board after the Opposition Leader pointed out the government had no process for referring preventative detention cases to the courts,” he said. “Labor is being shamed into taking action to keep Australians safe and it’s not good enough. It’s too little, too late because these criminals will still be in the community over Christmas and the new year.”
It is unclear whether the government was forced to announce the board after it was raised in the media in the past few days.
Government sources said Labor would do everything it could to make sure the community was safe, including ensuring preventive detention applications were “as strong and robust as possible” and “that nothing we do will jeopardise this process”.
Six former immigration detainees have been arrested since being released after the NZYQ ruling, which overturned indefinite detention of unlawful non-citizens.