Australia PM replaces immigration, national security ministers after scandals

PM Anthony Albanese has moved Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles into new portfolios

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Australian PM Anthony Albanese speaks to media during a press conference in Canberra. Photo: dpa

Published: 3:53pm, 28 Jul 2024

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday replaced the government ministers responsible for immigration and national security, overhauling the scandal-plagued portfolios.

Australia’s Department of Home Affairs has been under pressure since it was forced to release more than 100 immigration detainees – many convicted of assault, kidnapping and murder – in the wake of a landmark court ruling.

Albanese has sought to draw a line under the politically damaging saga, dumping Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles and moving them into new portfolios.

Both roles were taken over by veteran government problem solver Tony Burke.

Some of the detainees were charged with further crimes after they were released, stoking a barrage of bad publicity for the centre-left Labor government.

People seeking permanent visas demonstrate outside Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil’s electoral office in Oakleigh on July 22. Photo: Diego Fedele/AAP/dpa

Officials scrambled to fit the cohort with ankle monitoring bracelets while imposing other strict conditions such as curfews.