Prime Minister Scott Morrison has accused a senior Labor politician of wanting to protect domestic violence abusers in an extraordinary attack on the opposition, as the federal government re-prosecutes a bill that will make it easier to deport criminals.
After weeks on the defensive following damaging leaks and Liberal MPs rebelling against a signature government policy, Mr Morrison has turned his attention to national security in the dying days of the parliamentary term.
The government is pressuring Labor to support a bill that, it argues, will close a loophole that prevents the government from cancelling the visas of people convicted of violent crimes, but who are sentenced to less than 12 months' jail.
It is the third time the Coalition has attempted to pass the laws, which it first proposed in 2019.
Labor has called the bill unnecessary and a distraction, pointing to the deportation of Novak Djokovic as proof that the government has "God-like" power to deport who it likes.
Speaking on Sydney station 2SM, Mr Morrison said Labor had sided with abusers and criminals.
"[Opposition Leader] Anthony Albanese likes to talk about whose side is he on. He is clearly on the side of criminals," Mr Morrison said.
"[Shadow Home Affairs Minister] Kristina Keneally wants people who have been convicted of domestic violence to stay in the country because the judge gave them a soft sentence."
Senator Keneally told the ABC Mr Morrison's comments showed that he either did not understand the current law, or was a "liar".
"Mr Morrison is either lying about the ability of the Immigration Minister to cancel visas for criminals, or he just doesn’t understand the laws right now," she said.
Earlier, Senator Keneally tweeted at the Immigration Minister that the government already had the power to deport violent offenders.
"If you’re not prepared to use your current powers to kick rapists out of the country when your Department advises you to, I suggest you get out of the way, because as Immigration Minister, I won’t hesitate in doing so," she wrote.
"You and your colleagues should be focused on the COVID recovery, not another desperate attempt to manufacture an argument with the opposition in the lead-up to an election."
The government has maintained that it is unable to deport permanent visa holders convicted of a violent crime if they are given a "lenient" sentence.
It's pointed to several cases where the government's attempts to cancel visas of violent offenders were overruled on appeal, and to instances of judges giving lighter sentences to avoid the offender's visa being cancelled.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke told the ABC that Labor was being "misleading".
"Section 116 does not apply to permanent visa holders in Australia. The new Bill allows the Government to refuse visas proactively, stopping criminals before they get to Australia," Mr Hawke said.
"And unlike section 116, the [new] bill clearly and specifically lists types of offences that can trigger visa cancellation, rather than leaving it to a court to decide on a case-by-case basis."
The Law Council of Australia has said the proposed laws are disproportionate, and that the government already has broad powers which are sufficient for dealing with dangerous individuals.
In recent days, the Defence Minister was also accused of playing politics on national security, after he referred to sensitive intelligence of a foiled foreign interference plot to accuse Labor of being friendly with the Chinese government.
Morrison urges Liberals to put turbulent week behind them
Mr Morrison has been seeking to reset his party's political agenda ahead of the May election.
But those efforts have been thwarted after leaked texts revealed cabinet ministers and Liberal colleagues, including the Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, had described him as a "liar", a "horrible person" and a "complete psycho".
Last week, five Liberals broke ranks with the Coalition to vote against a government bill over religious discrimination laws that they argued would leave transgender youths at risk of being kicked out of religious schools.
That prompted Defence Minster Peter Dutton, the Leader of the House of Representatives, to accuse moderates who crossed the floor of misleading their own party.
In an address to his party on Tuesday morning, Mr Morrison urged Liberals to put last week behind them.
"To win this election, it will require the most discipline, focus and professionalism from each of us, in all of our roles, that we can summon," Mr Morrison said.
"[If we] do that, we win. It's that simple."
Mr Morrison, who spent the morning doing a series of AM radio interviews, urged his MPs to prosecute "every single inch of our agenda" in their community, in church, Rotary and advocacy groups.
He also praised his wife, Jenny, for being "brave" and "magnificent" for participating in a 60 Minutes interview, in which she expressed her disappointment that former Australian of the Year Grace Tame refused to smile when she met with the Morrisons earlier this year.
