Immigration Minister Andrew Giles’ deportation bill has stalled in the Senate.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
“Peter Dutton can come out today and say he will unconditionally support closing a loophole in our migration system that he left open,” Giles told this masthead.
“Or he can continue to stay silent – proving he will always put his political interest above the national interest.”
The bill threatens up to five years’ jail for non-citizens refusing to go back to their countries and bans entire nationalities from visiting Australia if their governments won’t accept citizens being returned against their will.
It is Labor’s third tranche of legislation in response toNovember’s High Court decision outlawing indefinite immigration detention,which triggered the release of 153 people into the community.
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The opposition has accused the government of failing to explain why the bill was so urgent after Giles tried to ram it through both houses of parliament within two days in March. It was blocked by the Senate and referred to a parliamentary inquiry last month,where it was criticised by multicultural communities,the human rights watchdog,the ombudsman and former immigration officials.
The bill was introduced ahead of aHigh Court freedom bid by an Iranian detainee who the government said was being lawfully held and could be deported if he co-operated with efforts to remove him.