James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Cyber Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Watt. The Australian Federal Police confirmed in Senate estimates last night that 152 former detainees have now been released into the community. Minister, how many of them are currently wearing electronic monitoring devices?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Paterson. I can only assume, given that, I presume, you were at Senate estimates last night with the AFP, that you would have asked them that question. They are obviously in a better position than any minister of the government to provide that level of detail. We have said that we have confidence—

James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Cyber Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam President, on a point of order of direct relevance, the AFP said they couldn't answer that question, which is why I'm asking the responsible minister to answer that question.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Paterson, I'm sure you're aware that has now gone into the area of debating. The minister is being directly relevant to your question.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have consistently said that we have complete confidence in the Community Protection Board, which was established by this government and is comprised of former and serving police and other national security officials, to provide advice to government on how this particular cohort should be treated and who should have bracelets and other conditions attached. It's also worth remembering that the reason this situation has arisen is there was a High Court decision that overturned many years of precedent.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Senator Paterson.

James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Cyber Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On direct relevance, it was a tightly worded question. There was no preamble, and it is seeking a factual piece of information. Could you please draw the minister's attention back to the question.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I believe the minister is being relevant. I will remind him that he should address the question and not what others have done in government. But he is being relevant to the question.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm almost certain that the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs and the Minister for Home Affairs have also made public the government's intention to ensure that the Community Protection Board, via the Department of Home Affairs, will soon issue a community protection update containing the sorts of details that Senator Paterson is seeking. This government does support transparency and supports those figures being provided on a regular basis through an orderly process through the Community Protection Board that we have established. We've also made clear that at all times we'll be guided by the protection of Australian people and adherence to the law. We've seen the laughable situation where various Liberal and National party members and senators have demanded that this government ignore the law and disobey rulings of the High Court. This government has no intention of doing so. We will adhere to the law and we will keep the Australian people updated, through that community protection update.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Paterson, first supplementary?

James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Cyber Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian reported this morning that a convicted rapist who was released into the community, following the NZYQ case, has had his ankle bracelet removed after his lawyers challenged the legal basis of the restrictions imposed on him. How many other rapists are loose in the community without electronic monitoring?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, the decisions the government has made on all of these matters have been informed by the advice of the Community Protection Board. The Community Protection Board comprises former and serving police and other security officials who this government has complete faith in. If Senator Paterson or any of the other interjecting senators want to criticise the government for the way that we've handled this, what they are actually doing is criticising people like former police commissioners who we are relying on for advice about all of these matters. If we want to have trumped-up senators who want to spend their time scaring the Australian community and if we want to rely on their advice rather than that of former police commissioners and people who actually take into account community safety issues each and every day, that's a matter for the opposition. The government is prepared and willing to rely on that advice from high-quality personnel.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Paterson, second supplementary?

James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Cyber Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs has repeatedly promised that the released detainees are being continuously monitored in the community. Given the government has allowed at least 36 former detainees and at least one rapist to be free in the community without electronic monitoring, how can that possibly be the case?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know it's in the opposition's interest to whip up fear amongst the Australian community, because, by whipping up fear, they just—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Order! Minister, please continue.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I say, I know it's in the political interests of the opposition to whip up fear amongst the Australian community because it then distracts attention from the fact that the opposition has absolutely no plan whatsoever for dealing with the cost-of-living pressures that Australians are experiencing. It distracts attention from the fact that the now opposition leader and former home affairs minister presided over—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. I will sit the minister down for as long as the interjections continue. You are disorderly. There are other opportunities during the sitting of the Senate for you to make whatever contributions you like, but right now you are to listen in respectful silence.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It does distract attention from the fact that the Leader of the Opposition, as the home affairs minister, presided over a corrupt immigration system that has been described as such in a number of reports now—a completely broken system.

On the point about where people are and monitoring, I direct the opposition to the comments from the AFP's Acting Deputy Commissioner Nicholls, who said in Senate estimates:

I don't think there's any difficulty in knowing where they are.

So, again, we have the opposition criticising AFP personnel for political gain. (Time expired)