Immigration Minister Andrew Giles was brutally grilled on live radio about the latest detainee crisis and asked directly why he had not been sacked yet.
ABC Radio presenter Sabra Lane asked the question on Thursday as pressure mounts for Giles to be dumped over the fiasco.
“Andrew Giles, a lot of Australians would be thinking this morning: ‘Why do you still have a job?'” he said.
“He has been in office for two years and many people would be completely baffled by what has happened in recent weeks.”
Giles has come under heavy criticism following a series of immigration disasters.
Some 153 detainees, including murderers and sex offenders, have been released from immigration after the High Court ruled last year that it was illegal to detain someone indefinitely if there was no real prospect of removing them from Australia.
Giles came under fire again after it emerged that several criminal immigrants were prevented from having their visas revoked after a court acted under Directive 99, an edict introduced by Giles in January last year.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson was the latest to join the group against Giles and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, calling them a “couple of fools”.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles was brutally grilled on live radio about the latest detainee crisis and asked directly why he had not been sacked yet.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson became the latest to join the group against Giles and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, branding them a “couple of fools”.
Giles told ABC’s AM that he had canceled seven visas in recent days.
When asked why he still had a job, he responded: “There is a lot of work to be done to clean up the mess, to rebuild the immigration system that was left in tatters.”
“A system that was fundamentally broken under Mr Dutton’s government (as) minister,” he said.
‘Last night I canceled another visa that was revoked by the agency under the previous management.
“We believe these decisions should be guided by clear principles for the protection of the Australian community.”
Lane dismissed Gile’s attempt to shift the blame to opposition leader Peter Dutton, saying he had been in office for enough years to make changes.
A new ministerial directive that focuses on “ensuring that community protection takes precedence over other considerations” will be published for public scrutiny as soon as it is ready, Giles said.
“We believe these decisions should be guided by two clear principles: the protection of the Australian community and common sense,” he said.
“We want to strengthen the role of victims and the impact of them and their families because that is something that we feel has been missing, as well as, of course, ensuring that the consideration of family violence is consistent with government and community expectations broader Australian.’
Hanson described Albanese as “the most pathetic, cowardly Prime Minister I have ever met” and said he was “ashamed” of his leadership.
It’s a cowardly wonder. He shows no compassion for what is happening in this country. “It was pathetic to hear,” Mrs. Hanson said.
‘I am so angry with him in the leadership role of this nation that I cringe when I see it. “I shudder when I hear their policies.”
Seven of the former detainees were previously convicted of murder or attempted murder and at least two of them and 26 sex offenders are not required to wear an electronic ankle monitor or abide by a curfew.
“They have no respect for the Australian people and their safety,” Ms Hanson said.
Some 153 detainees, including murderers and sex offenders, have been released from immigration after the High Court ruled last year that it was illegal to detain someone indefinitely if there was no real prospect of removing them from Australia (pictured, Detention Center of Villawood).
‘They do not take into account the security of this nation because they send a clear message to human traffickers. We are in a tremendous mess.
Ms Hanson called on the Prime Minister to sack Mr Giles from the federal cabinet.
‘He has to go. Everyone keeps asking for it, but Albanese is protecting him, so he’s his partner. He’s protecting him because they think alike,’ he said.
‘And that’s what tells me they both think the same. Albanese won’t get rid of Giles because Giles thinks exactly the same as Albanese.
Speaking about the immigration crisis this week, Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram told parliament there was a “big difference between some murders and other murders”.
Shadow Home Secretary James Paterson was shocked by Mr Outram’s statement and said “a murder is a murder”.
On Wednesday, Albanese announced the government would review a regulation called Directive 99, which makes “links with Australia”, such as family connections, a primary consideration in visa determinations.
Hanson called on the Prime Minister to sack Andrew Giles (pictured) from the federal cabinet
Daily Mail Australia revealed that a Sudanese criminal with a long record claimed he identified as Aboriginal and could play the didgeridoo in a successful bid to be allowed to remain in Australia.
“We’ve seen that we don’t see the common sense approach that Australians should expect, nor do we see the focus on community safety,” Giles said on Wednesday.
“But as the Prime Minister also made clear in question time, there were many issues that were clearly related to the implementation of previous directions issued under ministers in the previous government, including, of course, Peter Dutton when he was Minister of State. .
“The new revised direction will make it very clear that community safety is a consideration that outweighs all other considerations… Making sure it’s effective is obviously something I’m approaching with laser focus.”