Nat Barr has clashed with the Home Secretary over Andrew Giles’ latest ministerial decision, which has allowed a number of violent rapists to remain in the country.
The Sunrise presenter was left stunned on Wednesday morning when Clare O’Neil defended the Immigration Minister despite growing calls for him to be sacked.
Several criminal migrants, including a Sudanese man who identified himself as Aboriginal, were allowed to remain in Australia under its Directive 99, issued early last year.
The order requires the immigration minister or a body, including the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, to consider an individual’s community ties when considering revoking the visa cancellation of a convicted criminal.
The decision means greater tolerance is shown towards immigrants who have committed serious crimes if they “have lived in the Australian community for most of their life, or from a very young age”.
Nat Barr has clashed with the Home Secretary over Andrew Giles’ latest ministerial decision which has allowed several violent rapists to remain in the country.
O’Neil argued that the decision was made by the AAT and that Giles had “intervened at the right time” to try to resolve the issue and re-cancel the visas of violent offenders.
Barr was visibly shocked by the statement and questioned how rapists could be allowed to stay in the first place.
“He intervened at the right time. A lot of people would argue with it. He put in this direction, this ministerial direction last January. Then people raped children,” Barr said.
‘Then they used the laws, this direction imposed by their government and argued that they had ties to this country, that their families needed them and their families love them.
‘They used that address to stay in this country. So do you think maybe it’s too late for Andrew Giles to act now?
O’Neil said Giles was now intervening and trying to consider whether those visas can be cancelled, adding that he was a “good minister”.
But Barr noted that it was Giles who told the court to follow the order.
O’Neil again placed the blame on the AAT, saying the decisions made were “very baffling”.
‘Minister Giles also now has the opportunity to review some of those decisions. “As I understand it, some of those visas have been canceled as a result of him intervening and recalling those decisions,” he said.
More to come
