'Politics on the run': Inside Labor's bruising, chaotic 24 hours
The federal government's attempt to ram through seismic immigration changes has backfired.
For more than 24 hours, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles avoided fronting the Canberra press pack, despite their proposal to ram through controversial legislation changes to jail non-citizens who resist deportation.
It all started late on Tuesday morning, when the Coalition and crossbench were given a first look at sweeping new deportation powers for the immigration minister. They would be required to vote on the matter within hours.
Labor used its numbers in the lower house to rush the bill through that afternoon, despite a crossbench attempt to delay the vote to allow for more time to assess its implications.
Hanging over Labor is the upcoming ASF17 high court case, which could force the government to release detainees who refuse to cooperate with their deportation.
