Burke Criticized for Inaction on Released Criminal’s Violent Past
Minister Tony Burke faces backlash for not acting on a freed criminal’s violent history, raising community safety concerns
Burke, Australia, Immigration, Violence, Court Ruling, Community Safety
Melbourne: So, there’s been quite a stir over Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. He’s getting slammed for not stepping in sooner about a guy who was released from immigration detention. This guy, known as PLQF, has a pretty nasty history, including attacking his wife with a meat cleaver.
The whole mess started when a Federal Court decision on December 18 overturned an earlier move by former immigration minister Andrew Giles to cancel PLQF’s visa. This guy is from Bhutan and has been through a lot, but his past crimes are raising serious alarms.
PLQF was let go after a High Court ruling in November 2023 said indefinite detention was illegal. That ruling freed a bunch of detainees, but now we’re seeing the fallout. He’s got a record of violent behavior, including multiple assaults on his wife and even threats to kill her.
In one incident back in December 2020, he threatened his wife so badly that she had to grab their kids and run. He also attacked a neighbor during that same episode. It’s pretty shocking stuff.
Judge Nye Perram, who handled the case, pointed out that Giles made some serious mistakes in trying to cancel PLQF’s visa. He said the decision didn’t consider the impact on PLQF’s kids, which is a big deal.
While Burke is on leave, his department says they’re aware of the court’s decision and are looking into it, but they’re not saying much else. Meanwhile, the Coalition’s home affairs spokesman, James Paterson, is really going after Burke for not acting quickly enough.
Paterson’s asking why there wasn’t an appeal right after the court’s decision. He’s pushing the idea that only a Coalition government can fix the mess that Labor has made with immigration.
It’s a tough situation, especially since the High Court recently ruled that monitoring criminal detainees with ankle bracelets was illegal. Burke did manage to put some regulations back in place, but the whole thing is still a hot topic.
Out of the 224 detainees released, a significant number have serious criminal backgrounds, including murder and sexual offenses. It’s a real concern for community safety, and people are definitely paying attention.