A former detainee has been arrested in Melbourne, marking the sixth arrest made by the AFP since the High Court ruling on indefinite detention a few weeks ago.
The Australian Federal Police arrested a 36-year-old Eritrean man in western Melbourne late on Friday for allegedly breaching his visa.
Court documents have named him as Temesgen Tsegay Gebreyonas.
Police said in a statement Mr Gebreyonas had failed to comply with a curfew and has been charged under an amendment made last month, passed by Labor and the Coalition, which requires the former detention detainees to abide by strict curfews and wear ankle bracelets.
These requirements are enforceable regardless of whether the detainees had criminal convictions.
The breach carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a $93,900 fine.
Mr Gebreyonas will appear in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.
Another amendment was passed late on Wednesday after calls to intensify the government’s response to the immigration detention High Court ruling.
The new amendment established a new preventative detention regime to allow the immigration minister to seek a court order to re-detain the “worst of the worst” offenders released from immigration detention.
At least 148 people were released following the ruling with five other former detainees arrested over the past week for varying offences.
The Albanese government has been facing rising pressure to deal with the legal “disaster” which overturned 20 years of precedent.
