Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said legal advice made clear they could not consider a detainee’s criminal history when releasing themCredit:Alex Ellinghausen
“Following the High Court decision and reasons in the NZYQ matter,it is not legally possible to legislate to require the detention of all of the NZYQ-affected individuals on community safety grounds,” Dreyfus said.
In 2012,Victorian County Court judge Barbara Cotterell sentenced Emran Dad to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to paying children in state care for sex,on one occasion in 2008 trading a packet of cigarettes for sex with a 13-year-old girl.
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On another occasion in 2012,police sprung Dad near his car,which he was using to pimp a teenage girl for sex with a 24-year-old man.
“You acknowledge that you were to be paid for this service,” Cotterell said during her sentencing remarks.
In March 2012,Dad recruited a 17-year-old to have sex with men for money,arranging appointments via Facebook or phone before driving the girl to jobs.
“During your record of interview,you admitted that male clients contacted you to arrange for these services and you would then contact the girl and organise a meeting. These meetings occurred at private premises,motels,or in vehicles,or secluded locations,” Cotterell said.
The Coalition used Senate question time to attack the government on Dad’s alleged breach of conditions.
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“Why was there no preparation,why were there no contingencies,why couldn’t your government make plans to keep Australians safe?” Shadow foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham asked Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong.
She in turn accused the opposition of focusing on a political fight instead of working with the government.
“Let everyone remember,this is the group,this is the party that voted against strengthening the visa conditions and the criminal penalties associated with it because they are always about the political fight,they are never actually about fixing the problem,” she said.
With Alex Crowe
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault,Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.
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