‘Front up’: Dutton challenges government after ex-detainee charged

Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, 43, was arrested on Sunday evening over the alleged home invasion, which took place on April 16 in Perth.

He was part of the large group of detainees released following November’s landmark High Court ruling, which found indefinite detention was illegal.

The government opposed that ruling and rushed through curfew and monitoring laws in response to the decision.

Doukoshkan had been charged with breaching his curfew but was granted bail.

During the alleged April 16 invasion, grandmother Nanette was violently bashed and $200,000 worth of jewellery was stolen, police say.

As well as Doukoshkan, another man and a woman were also charged.

Speaking to Today, Dutton said the government had failed the community.

“I just think the prime minister and the ministers need to front up and explain how on earth they’ve got to this position,” Dutton said.

“(Immigration Minister Andrew Giles) gave an assurance to the parliament that all of these people were being monitored, and that there was no risk to the community because the monitoring and the surveillance was in place.

“As it turns out, that is just not true.”

He suggested there could be more alleged victims in the future, with other criminals among the detainees released.

“The reality is that that crime is a huge issue in many parts of our country, and the federal government now is adding to that by releasing these hardcore criminals out onto the street,” he said.

“And the question has to be asked why the Commonwealth didn’t oppose bail when this individual was before the court in February, so had he been kept in custody in immigration detention or a watch house, or facility otherwise, he would have been off the streets.”

Dutton denied that he had played politics over the issue, following the Coalition’s failure to support government legislation in March that would have seen the released detainees returned to some form of custody.

“We didn’t support it because it didn’t go it didn’t go far enough,” Dutton said.

He said the Coalition had supported “tougher” reviewed legislation, which made it through parliament.