The federal government will today unveil new legislation aiming to address a landmark High Court ruling that forced the release of dozens of detained asylum seekers, including several serious criminals.
Labor promised to introduce new legislation today to deal with the ongoing issue, and called for the Coalition’s support.
Three murderers and several sex offenders were among the 83 detainees set free after the landmark decision which overturned a two-decade old precedent on indefinite immigration detention.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil on Thursday morning said laws would be introduced to the parliament amid concerns for the safety of the public.
Some of the conditions include the ability to place ankle monitoring bracelets on asylum seekers and “strict curfews” to restrict their movements.
Ms O’Neil warned those released from detention to not break any of the visa conditions or they would be thrown back into prison immediately.
“These new conditions are significant,” she said on Thursday in Canberra.
“If you do not follow them, you will end up back in jail.”
But Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles warned the full fallout from the ruling wouldn’t be known until after the court issued its full judgment.
“Community safety remains the utmost priority of the Australian Government, which is taking further action in response to the recent High Court decision we strongly opposed,” the ministers said in a joint release.
“Starting well before the decision of the High Court in NZYQ v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs and Anor, we have been working through these complex issues to ensure community safety.”
The ministers noted more legislation could be needed later, depending on the court’s full judgment.
The High Court last week overturned a key plank of Australia’s immigration regime, ruling indefinite detention was illegal if the prospect of deportation was remote.
The decision sparked a scramble to deal with the release of what’s now 83 detainees, including three murderers, several sexual offenders and an alleged hitman from Malaysia.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton demanded Prime Minister Anthony Albanese oversee urgent action to deal with the problem.
“We’re not talking about people here who have been low level offenders, we’re talking about murderers and rapists and paedophiles and people who would pose a threat to our national security,” Dutton said on Wednesday.
“What higher order priority could the prime minister have than dealing with this issue?”
