By Andrew Brown in Canberra
The prime minister has been accused of passing the buck over a freed immigration detainee who was on bail when he allegedly assaulted a Perth grandmother.
The released detainee, a 43-year-old man who was freed following a High Court ruling in November, was one of three people charged over the assault of Ninette Simmons and her husband Philip.
Anthony Albanese said the decision by prosecutors not to oppose bail for the detainee after reoffending had taken place was troubling.
“That wasn’t a decision of government … I am just as upset about that decision as you are. I think that lacks common sense,” he told Seven’s Sunrise program on Friday.
“We recognise that community safety is the absolute priority.
“My heart goes out to Ninette, no one should be subject to that sort of violence. It is an outrage that this occurred.”
Mr Albanese also took aim at his own government-appointed community protection board, which was set up following the High Court ruling, after it recommended the detainee not be required to wear an ankle bracelet.
Emergency laws passed by federal parliament after the court ruling imposed strict monitoring conditions on the released detainees, including electronic monitoring and ankle bracelets.
The prime minister admitted it was a failure by the board not to have the ankle bracelet at the time.
“That’s the wrong decision by that board, but they make the decisions independent,” he said.
“The government has had to deal with the implications of (the High Court case) … we want to take as strong an action as possible.”
The coalition’s foreign spokesman Simon Birmingham said the prime minister was passing the buck on the issue.
“He seems to be completely washing his hands and those of his ministers of any responsibility at all. It’s all somebody else’s fault,” he told Sky News.
“The prime minister’s comments today will be seen by many, not least of whom are victims of these released detainees, but by many others across the community to be woefully inadequate, terribly weak and lacking in accountability.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said there was understandable community anger over the assault.
“People are right to be angry about it and upset, this could be anybody’s grandmother or mother,” he told Nine’s Today program.
“(Immigration Minister Andrew Giles) has responsibility here, the first charge of the prime minister of our country is to keep people safe, not to put them in harm’s way, and that’s what’s happened.”
The coalition has repeated calls for Mr Giles and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil to resign following the assault.
Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan said Mr Giles had “either lied to the Australian people about the government’s monitoring regime … (or) didn’t know what was happening in his portfolio”.
“Either way, he has to go,” Mr Tehan said.
Another former immigration detainee was arrested in Perth on Wednesday for breaching visa-mandated curfew conditions.
Kimbengere Gosoge, 42, appeared in court on Thursday charged with six offences including failing to remain at his home as ordered on five occasions.
He was remanded in custody and will appear in court again later in May.
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