Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and shadow finance minister Jane Hume have butted heads in a fiery on-air clash as Andrew Giles faces mounting criticism after another foreign national with criminal convictions escaped deportation.
The heated debate on Seven’s Sunrise on Wednesday morning comes after a Maltese national had his deportation overturned by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal under Andrew Giles’ Direction 99 due to family ties.
Kevin Farrugia has been convicted on more than 40 charges and was an associate of notorious drug kingpin Tony Mokbel.
Ms O’Neil was asked on Wednesday whether it was still possible for the Albanese Government to defend the Immigration Minister, who has insisted he will act quickly to revoke the instruction with a new edict focused on community protection.
She deflected blame to Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, saying he had the opportunity to cancel Mr Farrugia’s visa as Home Affairs Minister in 2019.
“What is interesting is that Peter Dutton also had the opportunity to cancel this person’s visa in 2019 and that did not occur,” Ms O’Neil said.
“That is why this person is still in the country at the moment, and why he had the opportunity to go on and commit further crimes.”
She hit out at the “intense hypocrisy” being spread during the detainee debate, referencing reports that Peter Dutton was Home Affairs Minister and Immigration Minister when 1,300 convicted criminals were released from immigration detention.
Ms Hume cut in, saying the Home Affairs Minister was “shameless”.
Ms O’Neil said the Opposition leader had been asked about Mr Farrugia, as well as the 1,300 detainees who were released, and “wouldn’t answer any questions”.
“And I would say that if the test Jane and her colleagues set for ministers in our government was set for Peter Dutton he would not have lasted a week,” she said.
Ms Hume continued to defend Mr Dutton, drawing attention back to the fact he had 6,500 visas cancelled which is “more than any minister since federation” and criticising Mr Giles as the “most incompetent minister in the government”.
The debate became so heated that Sunrise’s Natalie Barr was forced to end the interview early.
According to the West Australian, the AAT cited the Maltese-born Mr Farrugia’s “strength, nature and duration of ties” to Australia, as well as the “best interests” of his 15-year-old daughter, in allowing him to remain.
Mr Giles was grilled on the revelation about Mr Farrugia during Question Time on Tuesday as shadow immigration minister Dan Tehan demanded to know if he had acted to overrule the decision.
Mr Giles said he was aware of the case, but refused to provide further detail, only saying it was “under consideration in accordance with the national interest”.
In footage unearthed by The Australian on Tuesday, Mr Giles was caught boasting Direction 99 would help Australia meet its “obligations” to foreign born criminals at a Refugee Council of Australia event in November 2022.
“I think one of the big issues that we have dealt with as a government is to have regard to the Ministerial Direction that operates in respect of the cancellation regime,” he said in the footage.
“And have had close regard, particularly on the basis of discussions with our friends in New Zealand about how this can operate in a way that better reflects our obligation to people who’ve spent the majority of their lives in Australia, as opposed to another country.”