Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has vowed to come down hard on criminals freed by a controversial High Court decision which has deemed the indefinite detention of certain non-citizens illegal.
But because the High Court is yet to publish its written reasons for the decision, the Labor Government is unable to introduce a law to lock the offenders up again.
This means 80 detainees – including a paedophile, elderly sex attacker and a hitman – will continue to remain in the community.
Labor also confirmed there’s three murderers and several sex offenders among those released back into the community.
The mass release of asylum seekers followed the success of an appeal made by NZYQ – who raped a 10-year-old boy – on November 8th.
Ms O’Neil said she wanted it to be clear the Commonwealth had argued against the release of certain non-citizens.
The decision reversed a 20-year precedent which had allowed the Commonwealth to detain non-citizens who had committed crimes.
The court found in favour of a Rohingya paedophile – known in proceedings as NZYQ – who has been in detention since serving a prison sentence for child sexual abuse.
The Rohingya are a stateless Islamic people who reside in western Myanmar near the border with Bangladesh, where they are persecuted.
Because the Rohingya are not citizens of Myanmar – who consider them Bengalis and not a distinct ethnic group – NZYQ cannot be deported there.
Among those now freed is Sirul Azahr Umar, 51, who was sentenced to death for the 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, the pregnant girlfriend of a political operative, whom he killed and then blew up the body.
Indeed, it is clearly the idea of a male government idea!