Sacking Giles the only right move, PM
Daily Telegraph, Sydney by Dan Tehan
Anyone who saw the photo of Ninette Simons bashed and bruised after an alleged violent assault and robbery at the hands of one of the immigration detention detainees released by Labor would have felt great sympathy for the 73-year-old cancer survivor.
They also would have felt great anger that could have been their mother, grandmother or wife.
Australians don't ask much of their governments but they expect they will be safe in their homes.
And when governments fail, Australians expect they will have the decency to front up and tell us what went wrong.
The failures of this week have made it obvious the Albanese Labor government can't be trusted to keep Australians safe and they go into hiding when things get tough.
The case against former detainee Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan will be decided by the courts. But Australians will judge the performance of the government, and in particular Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.
His fingerprints are on every stuff-up, mistake and mismanagement to do with the government's release into the community of seven murderers, 37 sex offenders and 72 violent offenders. Giles skipped three crucial meetings with his department about the release of these criminals and instead spent time promoting the Voice and flying to London to speak at a Labour Party conference. Why?
Doukoshkan was required to wear an ankle bracelet when he appeared in court in February but not at the time of the alleged bashing. What happened?
Labor ministers, reading from official government talking points, said the commonwealth opposed bail when Doukoshkan had earlier appeared in court.
They did no such thing, so why wasn't bail opposed and why did the government mislead us?
We don't have answers to those questions because Giles refuses to answer them.
Andrew Giles is the most incompetent minister Australia has ever seen. He is hopeless and hapless.
Anthony Albanese was quick to pull rank at a rally on Sunday when he told a domestic violence survivor that he was the Prime Minister and he ran the country.
Well he should put his money where his mouth is and sack Andrew Giles.
ENDS
