Today Anthony Albanese and his Labor colleagues voted against a law that will keep Australians safe from paedophiles, violent extremists and other serious criminals in immigration detention.
Labor’s failures on immigration and border protection are well known, but this latest move is gobsmacking, even for them.
The Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020 will give Australian Border Force officers strengthened powers to search for and seize illegal drugs and other items if they put safety and security at risk, including mobile phones in some circumstances. We are not introducing a blanket ban on mobile phones in detention.
Labor says the powers aren’t needed.
Just two weeks ago, a detainee, brought to Australia by Labor and the Greens under the Medevac legislation, was charged with viewing and distributing child exploitation material on his mobile phone. The ABF had no power to remove his phone.
Earlier this month another detainee pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing thousands of child abuse images and videos from his mobile phone. The ABF could not take his phone.
A detainee has previously downloaded extremist material on his iPad and showed it to other detainees. The ABF could not confiscate it.
ABF officers have previously seen a visitor hand over a bag suspected to contain illicit drugs to a detainee. The ABF was powerless to search the detainee.
Detainees have uploaded photos to social media of medical staff along with abusive and violent messages. The ABF is powerless to intervene.
We even had a group of detainees running a criminal syndicate from their mobile phones. Again the ABF has no power to seize their phones.
There are many more examples. What more evidence does Labor need?
Labor has put the interests of foreign criminals, including child sex abusers, above the safety of Australian men, women and children.
