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Amateurs.

The government knew the High Court was likely to rule against the indefinite detention of a stateless person, a convicted child rapist known only as NZYQ, and initially sought to circumvent an adverse ruling by deporting him to a third country.

But when that didn’t work out, it failed to develop a plan B. As the furore grew over the release on to our streets of numerous foreign criminals who had no right to be here, including murderers, rapists and pedophiles, Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil first falsely claimed the government was caught flat-footed because it had been advised it would win the case.

Then she said there was nothing that could be done because “you can’t out-legislate the High Court”. Then she introduced legislation that she claimed was the toughest and fastest ever, only to have to accept a series of opposition amendments to strengthen it, such as mandatory reporting requirements and ankle bracelets.

And even after the government’s self-proclaimed leap from impotence to faux-toughness, there was more.

First it turned out some criminals had been released without ankle bracelets; then it turned out that at least one had simply refused to wear an ankle bracelet and had been allowed to abscond without one. Then, once the court’s judgment was issued, it turned out ongoing detention would likely be permitted after all provided immigration detainees had an “unacceptable risk of reoffending”.

And finally it turned out – if the opposition’s take on the court’s decision is right – that the court had not, in fact, required the release of anyone other than NZYQ, meaning every other criminal released is because this incompetent minister panicked and a Prime Minister who had always been soft on borders didn’t object.

The upshot of all this is that the Albanese government has needlessly exposed the community to an unacceptable risk and lied about it. What has been abundantly on display is ministers who are out of their depth and a Prime Minister who won’t take charge.