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Following a heated debate in parliament on Wednesday that sparked thunderous exchanges across the aisle, the government yesterday rushed through legislation to strengthen its powers to control more than 80 people, some of them criminals, whom it has been forced to release from immigration detention. Michelle Grattan writes that this emergency legislation followed a High Court ruling on the matter for which the government seemed ill-prepared. This left Labor in a
bind on an issue that has always caused it discomfort, accused of being too lenient from the right and cruel and inhumane from the left.
The government’s situation was complicated by the fact the court issued its ruling without its reasoning - that will come later.
As a result, more than 80 people were released, some of them convicted of serious crimes including rape and murder. The legislation includes added security measures such as curfews and ankle monitoring bracelets. The government’s desperation to get its bill through and the issue off the table was obvious when it capitulated to opposition demands for various amendments to toughen the legislation further.
The matter will not end here. More legislation may be needed once the court issues its reasoning. But in the meantime, Grattan says, “the government hopes the legislation provides the necessary belt and braces to send the community the message that, despite initial fumbling, it is in control of this unexpected situation”.
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Amanda Dunn
Politics + Society Editor
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The High Court isn’t usually front and centre in politics. But when it is, it can land unexpected punches that throw governments off balance.
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Nick Bisley, La Trobe University
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Eve Mayes, Deakin University; Ruchira Talukdar, Deakin University
It’s been five years since school students first went on strike for climate action. Much has changed.
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Euan Ritchie, Deakin University; Jack Pascoe, The University of Melbourne; Kirsty Howey, Charles Darwin University; Terry Hughes, James Cook University; Yung En Chee, The University of Melbourne
A group of prominent environmental scientists devised this list of 5 things we must see in Australia’s new national environmental laws, if we are to avoid calamity and hasten recovery.
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Renee Carey, Curtin University
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Jago Dodson, RMIT University
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Edwina Luck, Queensland University of Technology; Nicholas Grech, Queensland University of Technology
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Alexander Howard, University of Sydney
The winners of the 2023 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards have been announced – and they’re a diverse bunch of books, with a focus on reconnection, regeneration, questioning and beauty.
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Garth Stahl, The University of Queensland; Braden Hill, Edith Cowan University; Himanshu Gupta, Flinders University; James Smith, Flinders University; Samuel Moore, Menzies School of Health Research
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Emma Ryan-Weber, Swinburne University of Technology
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Maria Tumarkin, The University of Melbourne; Juliet Rogers, The University of Melbourne
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Ellen K. Mather, Flinders University; Mike Lee, Flinders University; Trevor H. Worthy, Flinders University
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Politics + Society
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Alexander Tan, University of Canterbury; Neel Vanvari, University of Canterbury
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Health + Medicine
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Andrea Stringer, University of South Australia
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Michoel Moshel, Macquarie University; Jennifer Batchelor, Macquarie University; Joanne Bennett, Australian Catholic University; Wayne Warburton, Macquarie University
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