Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has been forced to defend Immigration Minister Andrew Giles after revelations his ministerial direction allowed serial criminal offenders to remain in Australia.
A Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday heard Mr Giles was warned by his department that his Direction 99 changes would stop serious criminals from being deported.
After the minister ordered an urgent review following reports that multiple accused serial rapists had their visa cancellations overturned as a result of the changes, the Coalition demanded Anthony Albanese take “responsibility” and fire Mr Giles.
“This is a decision of government that has gone horribly, terribly wrong like every decision of government seems to in this portfolio,” Liberal Senator Jane Hume said.
“The urgent matter is to get a new Immigration Minister because quite frankly this one has failed the Australian people. Anthony Albanese needs to sack Minister Giles. He needs to do it today.”
It has been revealed the man who attacked 25 women and a child was allowed to keep his visa following Mr Giles’ push to give more leniency to foreign-born criminals with ties to Australia, according to reports from the Australian.
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In a late night sitting of Senate estimates on Tuesday evening, it was revealed officials at the Department of Home Affairs modelled the implications of Mr Giles’ Direction 99 changes, finding that two of the eight individual cases analysed were likely to be overturned.
The direction, which was issued by Mr Giles in early 2023, requires the immigration minister or a body, including the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, to consider an individual’s community ties when considering to revoke the cancellation of a convicted criminal’s visa.
Of those whose visa cancellations were overturned are Sudanese national Emmanuel Saki, who was charged with stabbing a 22-year-old in Queensland just weeks after the AAT revoked the cancellation of his visa, and Lebanese-born Abdul Wahab Trad, who was found to have strong ties to Australia despite raping a 13-year-old girl in 2020.
Ms O’Neil said decisions made by the tribunal were ‘disconcerting’ and did not meet community expectations.“
It does appear that the decisions made by this independent tribunal are not meeting community expectations and not putting proper stead on the importance that we place on community safety,” she told Sunrise.
“So actually Minister Giles has stepped in here. He’s taking action as a good minister would do.”