Ever since the High Court ruling that the government said forced it to release 148 detainees onto the general public, its worst nightmare was that one or more of them would re-offend. Well one has...indecent assault.

Two others have charged with other lesser offences. Poor Clare O'Neil, who from the moment this dropped on her desk, has looked like a rabbit caught in headlights.

Her big idea was to put ankle trackers on those released. Unsurprisingly the didn't stop the indecent assault, but it did keep the compliant media quiet for a few days, and the media cycles are all that the government really cares about.

Normally these people would have been deported the moment they'd served their sentence. But here we have asylum seekers who have been found to be in mortal danger if they are returned to their homeland. Perhaps they, the criminals, should have pondered that BEFORE committing their crime.

Again, the current government isn't fully to blame for this. The problem lay with the entire political case, including the actual High Court. But the alacrity that the government showed in releasing these people following the High Court decision shows that they were on-board with letting them loose.

It was only when the government found that the population (ie voters) weren't OK with non-citizen criminals roaming the streets, that they suddenly decided 'sumfing' had to be done.

Of course the government and the compliant media are trying really hard to lay the blame on the opposition. Somehow, its all Dutton's fault for not doing what the government tells him to do!! We could ask where are the greens and teals in all this. Answer - in hiding. Not for them the tough issues. If they had the community interest at heart they'd support the government who wouldn't then need Dutton.

Meanwhile the PM, it seems, has also gone into hiding. He's leaving his ministers to carry the can on this. You can't blame him really...after all there are no pretty photo ops in this issue and that's what he exists for following the debacle of the referendum.

mhaze,

Do you agree with indefinite detention at the governments discretion? The High Court unanimously does not, but it seems you do. Australia is a liberal democracy which believes in the rule of law, but its also only one degree from becoming a totalitarian state, as demonstrated by having people like you who are willing to see others incarcerated (disappear) for no other reason than they pose a "possible" threat to the "law and order" of society.

Unlike prisoners, they are free to leave Australia at any time they so choose. It is detention by choice, and they would have better lives than many Australians.

mhaze & Paul1405,
So, what would be your solution regarding criminals in this scenario ?

I'm not a lawyer so my comments aren't really that
relevant in the scheme of things. I was concerned
I have to admit when I first heard about people
with criminal records being released into our
communities - especially sex offenders. Then I read
that they would be monitored with ankle devices.
And thought - "This might work."

Apparently, it hasn't worked so well.

I feel sorry for any government being faced with this
situation. They have to go by the law. But they also
have to think of community safety. I'd hate to be in
the Minister's shoes.

I think this one - the courts are going to have to deal
with. Blaming the PM or the government is not very
productive. This is a matter where the law must be
adhered to - just or not. Unless of course the law
can be changed for the betterment of all concerned.

If it was up to me - I'd not release these guys into
our communities. I'd find a way to keep them locked up or
give them a choice of being deported.

How the heck did these guys get into our country in
the first place with their criminal records and
were allowed to stay?