Senator James Paterson, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security joins us to discuss the Coalition's position on the bill, as well as the issue of handling the former detainees.
The bill, which aims to force people to cooperate in their own deportation, was subject to an inquiry. The government wants to proceed with the bill unchanged, despite widespread community concerns.
In the dissenting report to the deportation bill, the Coalition says it supports the policy intent of the legislation but has significant concerns about potential unintended consequences.
A significant number of the former detainees have run foul of the law since their release. After the matter was reported, the ministers did a single interview each as they tried to dodge the spotlight.
The government seeks to end the year with a series of new announcements, but the ongoing crisis with the high court decision overshadows the government’s work.