Politics latest: 184 deportations overturned 'this year'

More than half of matters that have come before Administrative Appeals Tribunal this year relating to Labor's Direction 99 have been set aside, registrar Michael Hawkins has revealed.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

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5:58 pm May 31, 2024

Albanese's loyalty to Giles 'seriously miscalculated'

Staff writers

Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie has suggested Anthony Albanese is pandering to the public by remaining loyal to Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.

“I think the Prime Minister is making a very serious miscalculation here,” she said.

“He is thinking voters are going to reward his loyalty to Giles, just like he thought they would reward him protecting Alan Joyce, or reward him for standing with the elite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community around the voice.

“The fact is the Australian public won't reward him for this perceived loyalty, because they want him to be loyal to them and there is one way to do that and that is to make sure they are kept safe. But every single day there has been a new failure being exposed on that one key priority every government should have.”

By Jordan McCarthy

4:57 pm May 31, 2024

Giles doing a 'terrific job': Leigh

Staff writers

Assistant Minister for Competition Andrew Leigh has thrown his support behind Immigration Minister Andrew Giles, saying he is doing a “terrific job”.

Speaking on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing Mr Leigh said Mr Giles's ability to run the portfolio should not be questioned.

“Minister Giles had been assiduous in the dealing with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the unexpected High Court decision that came down last year also. In that context I think he's been doing a terrific job," he said.

Mr Leigh went on to say it was the fault of the previous government that Mr Giles has been left "clearing up the mess the Liberals left behind".
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“We had a system in which there was a massive backlog of important skill visas coming to Australia," he said.

“For example, if you wanted a passport renewal… there was a huge backlog as a result of the former government’s work.”

Mr Leigh also said the pressure being placed on Mr Giles by the AAT was not fair but the government would not be making changes to how it operates.

“The Administrative Appeals Tribunal, as we know, were checked by the former government – a host of political appointees and Liberal Party cronies,” he said.

“In terms of how they operate they have always had to take into account an applicant's links to Australia. That was the case under the former government, as is the case under our government."

By Jordan McCarthy

3:15 pm May 31, 2024

NACC holding 'secret hearings' on corruption matters

Ellie Dudley

Australia's corruption watchdog has held a series of secret hearings where handfuls of witnesses have given evidence, CEO Phillip Reed has revealed.

Mr Reed told budget estimates on Friday afternoon that the National Anti-Corruption Commission, which came into effect last year, has been conducting its work "in private".

"Most of the work that we're going to do is going to be done in private," he said.

"It's something that the Act, in effect, is saying – that to do anything like a public hearing is an exception, not the norm."

He said the NACC had hosted private hearings for two investigations, where 12 witnesses had given evidence.

"Nobody would know that until I make a statement here today," he said.

2:58 pm May 31, 2024 Highlight

Giles had power to 'quash' decisions made by AAT

Ellie Dudley

More than half of matters that have come before Administrative Appeals Tribunal this year relating to Labor's Direction 99 have been set aside, registrar Michael Hawkins has revealed.

Mr Hawkins in budget estimates on Friday afternoon said, in this financial year, 367 decisions have been finalised relating to Direction 99.

Of those decisions, 184 have been set aside.

"It's my understanding that … the (Immigration) Minister would have the capacity to effectively quash the decision of the tribunal under Section 501A," he said.

Liberal Senator Paul Scarr pressed Mr Hawkins on this.

"Perhaps just to make clear … as I understand your evidence, for every case in which the tribunal overturned the cancellation, the minister has the power to quash that decision?" he said.

Mr Hawkins: "That is my understanding, yes."

2:47 pm May 31, 2024

Staff 'hurting' over Direction 99 decisions

Ellie Dudley

Administrative Appeals Tribunal registrar Michael Hawkins says tribunal members are "accountable" for the decisions they make, and some are "hurting" after their decisions were highlighted in the media.

Staff from the AAT are appearing before budget estimates after Labor's controversial Direction 99 has come under fire this week.

The Albanese government has accused the AAT of misinterpreting its changes to immigration laws.

Liberal Senator Paul Scarr asked Mr Hawkins about the morale of tribunal members after "attacks" from Labor ministers this week. Labor committee members rejected that characterisation.

"From my own experience, I can say that you own the decision because you had uppermost in your mind, whether you were denying someone the opportunity to come into Australia … and you would be concerned that that person could be gunned down on their return to their own country," he said.

He continued: "Members who have been referred to in the press about decisions they've made, which have been made in accordance with their oath, and with practice and procedure of the member, they would be wearing it and they would be hurting."

1:57 pm May 31, 2024

Miles calls for Townsville mayor to resign

Staff writers

Queensland Premier Steven Miles. Picture: NewsWire / David Clark

Queensland Premier Steven Miles says Townsville mayor Troy Thompson to resign after it was revealed he made a number of false claims about his military record.

“As someone who cares a lot about Townsville and the future of Townsville, it’s hard to imagine how it’s in Townsville’s best interests for him to remain as mayor,” Mr Miles said during a press conference today.

“Just on the basis of what he’s acknowledged he’s done, that would seem sufficient to me for him to stand down.”

Mr Miles also said the community would probably have a “very dim view” of the situation.

“Of all of the places to lie about your military service, Townsville would have to be just about the worst, and I’m sure that the Townsville population takes a very dim view of it,” he said.

“I’d urge him to seriously consider what’s in the best interests of the city – that he said he cared about, when he ran for election.”

By Clareese Packer

12:55 pm May 31, 2024 Highlight

Federal seat of Higgins to be abolished

Staff writers

The seat of Higgins is set to be abolished in order to decrease electoral divisions from 39 to 38 according to a report by The Redistribution Committee for Victoria today.



Chair of the Committee and Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers confirmed the decision.


“Under the proposal some significant changes would occur, with the boundaries of Victorian divisions being amended to accommodate the decrease,” he said.


“38 of the existing 39 division names would be retained with the Division of Higgins to be abolished.”



Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah has held the seat since 2022.


The Higgins electorate covers 39 square kilometres across parts of the Boroondara City Council, Glen Eira City Council, and the Stonnington City Council.



The decision will mean electors would be distributed to the surrounding divisions of Chisholm, Hotham, Kooyong, Mcnamara and Melbourne.



Mr Rogers also confirmed a new division will be introduced in Western Australia, bringing the number of federal electoral divisions in that state to 16.


“Under the proposal, the boundaries of all of Western Australia’s existing electoral divisions would change and the additional Division of Bullwinkel would be created,” he said.


“Ongoing population growth in parts of Western Australia has led the Redistribution Committee to propose a number of substantial changes to the state’s electoral division boundaries.”

– CLAREESE PACKER

12:22 pm May 31, 2024

Woman dies after being struck by vehicle

Staff writers

A woman in her 30s has died after being struck by a vehicle in Central Tablelands in New South Wales on Friday morning.

Emergency services rushed to Forest Road in Orange at 9:20 am following reports of a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle.

Police have established a crime scene with investigations ongoing.

The driver of the vehicle will be interviewed by NSW Police officers later today.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

Police have urged anyone who witnessed the crash or who has CCTV/dashcam footage to contact Crime Stoppers.

– Isabella Pesch

12:14 pm May 31, 2024 Highlight

Discrimination tzar backs Tingle on racism claim

Ellie Dudley

Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman has defended an op-ed he penned arguing the ABC board should back its journalist Laura Tingle for "calling out racism".

Mr Sivaraman told budget estimates the intention of the article, published in the Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday, was "to say that we should be able to have discussions about racism".

Appearing in a panel at the Sydney Writers’ Festival on Saturday, Ms Tingle voiced disapproval of a speech made by Peter Dutton, in which he outlined the Coalition's plans to cut the permanent migration intake to deal with the housing crisis.

Ms Tingle said that she could not remember a time when a political leader had said “everything that is going wrong in this country is because of migrants”.

She also labelled Australia “a racist country”.

In his op-ed published, Mr Sivaraman said that "the person who calls out racism faces far more scrutiny than the racism itself."

"This is partly why our media is so timid in addressing racism – because powerful voices try to shut down conversations that challenge the status quo," he wrote.

Mr Sivaraman said the intention of the article was "to say that we should be able to have discussions about racism and call out racism."

"That is something that I've seen in the past, where the person that calls out the racism is often suppressed or interrogated more than the actual racism that they're calling out," he said.

Asked whether he considered whether the article would be seen as an endorsement of Ms Tingle's criticism of the Opposition Leader, Mr Sivaraman said he was focussing specifically on her comments that Australia is a "racist country".

"If you read the entire piece, you see how I'm talking about discussions about racism and then I talk about racism that's occurred in structural racism that exists," he said. "So in that sense, I really was trying to focus my piece, and the discussion about it just on that very specific issue."

11:53 am May 31, 2024

Wong urges Bandt to condemn vandalism

Staff writers

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has called on Greens Leader Adam Bandt to condemn pro-Palestine protests that saw the offices of Victorian MPs – including Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus – vandalised this morning.

“In this country workers have a right to be safe and to feel safe. Workers everywhere. And what we have seen are protests which go beyond peaceful protests,” she said.

“We have a right to peaceful protest in this country, but we should rightly condemn protests which are violent and which are hateful and aggressive.

“It’s not acceptable in this country. I understand and I share the depth of concern, the depth of feeling that Australians have about what is occurring in Gaza and what is occurring in Rafah.

“And I have made, on behalf of this country, very strong statements, as has the Prime Minister… But the depth of the feelings that people have does not justify, in this country, a resort to violent protests and Adam Bandt should act as a leader and make that clear.”

– Clareese Packer