The number of people released from immigration detention might triple, but the minister of home affairs says it’s “very unlikely” that the historic decision will have an impact on all 340 of the people who could be affected.
A fundamental tenet of Australia’s immigration laws was overthrown last week when the High Court declared that prolonged detention was unlawful if there was little chance of deportation.
A rush was created to deal with the release of over ninety detainees, including several sexual offenders, three murders, and a suspected hitman from Malaysia, as a result of the decision.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neill has now disclosed that the regulation may touch 340 detainees, potentially affecting dozens more.
“Those 340 individuals have been detained for more than a year. O’Neil stated, “It is quite improbable that the high court’s decision will apply to all of them.
The minister maintained that, in light of the High Court’s decision, it was not feasible to lock detainees back up.
Shadow Home Affairs James Paterson pressed the government for further information.
“Have we started moving into that cohort of 340 – who are they?” he asked.
“What offences have they committed and when and where were they released into the community?”The regime for high-risk terrorism offenders should be taken into account. “That includes things like preventative detention orders, continuing detention orders.”
The laws hurried through parliament last week were referred to by the government as phase one.
It is currently awaiting the High Court’s publication of the rationale underlying its decision, which could lead to additional modifications.
“When the reasons for the decision are handed down at the beginning of next year we will then be able to look at what else we can do about this,” O’Neil stated.
