Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

There is no greater example of the incompetence and the danger those opposite, the Labor government, present to the Australian people than them allowing 80 and possibly up to 330 people in detention, because they've been denied visas on character ground—and some of them are violent rapists and murderers. You start to think, 'Well, how could this possibly have happened?' Unfortunately, it was entirely predictable and preventable, but this government did not prepare.

So what's the situation? Last week the High Court overturned a 20-year precedent that has underpinned the migration policy of both sides of government. The issue the government now face—and, again, this hasn't been a secret hearing by the High Court; this has been well-known and is an entirely predictable outcome. The plaintiff in the High Court itself who made this decision committed a heinous child's sex offence. So far we've heard in the media—and not from this government—that at least 80 others have been released into the community.

While I said the government wasn't prepared, one minister was prepared: the minister for immigration. He prepared by ensuring that these 80 people had visas prepared for them. And not only did they have visas prepared for them; they also had hotel rooms booked for them. The government made sure they had visas and hotel rooms, but they did not think to ensure that they did not get out of detention in the first place. The High Court hasn't even delivered its reasons yet. They could have been detained a bit further.

While the minister for immigration was rolling out the red carpet for these 80 and possibly nearly 300 more, what was the Attorney-General doing? What was the Minister for Home Affairs doing? By their own admission, they were doing absolutely nothing. They could have started thinking, 'What happens if this does happen?'—which, again, was entirely predictable. They could have started thinking, 'We'll use the time until we get the decision from the High Court. We can prepare some legislation, possibly under our current terrorism framework, and we can have it ready,' because, guess what, the Senate was sitting last week. The House is also sitting this week. We have rushed urgent legislation through both chambers in previous years, under the previous government, and we could have done it here now. Not only has this incompetent government run down our economy in less than 18 months and made it very hard for Australians to afford their rents, their mortgages and their grocery bills but it also is not keeping Australians safe.

What's happened in Western Australia? We've heard from the West Australian, not from those opposite, that apparently 50 of those 80 were released from Yongah Hill detention centre, just out of Perth, into an outer suburb of Perth, where they're all currently sitting in a hotel. Where are they staying? Who's safeguarding them? Who would think throwing into a cheap motel 50 people who mostly have criminal records and present a threat to the Australian community, giving them a few bucks and saying, 'On your way,' was a good idea? It is almost inconceivable how incompetent and how dangerous those opposite are.

The refugee advocate, presumably for those 50 in Perth, warned that many were at 'huge risk of imminent homelessness'. What could go wrong once 50 people—who have all been denied visas for Australia on character grounds, many because they have committed the most heinous crimes—get kicked out of the hotel? What does Labor do? 'Let's roll the carpet out. Let's give them a visa. Let's put them in a hotel or a motel for a while. We won't worry about what happens to them afterwards.' They have no legislation in this place this week, which they could well have done, to keep Western Australians and Australians safe.

They've done all of this in less than 18 months. They're destroying the economy. They're destroying people's lives. They're now releasing murderers and rapists into the suburbs of Perth and elsewhere. Shame on you all.

Question agreed to.