Before we begin. This episode is full of adult concepts and language from the Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Claire Harvey. It's Wednesday, June five. A quarter of disability workers quit in the past year, many to get higher wages in aged care. That's the takeout from a new report which also shows widespread fraud in the NDIS
where providers are using funds to obtain drugs. The Federal government's Affordable Housing Agency spent more than twenty four million dollars on consultants and six million on executive salaries last year without building a single dwelling under the government's promise
to create forty thousand social and affordable houses. That's an exclusive live on the Australian dot com dot a You right now today, the shocking story of a New Zealand born criminal who's been offending across three decades in Australia and why the federal government has failed to send him back home. In nineteen seventy eight, a four year old boy arrived in Australia to begin a new life with his family. He's Glen Taylor, born in nineteen seventy four
in New Zealand. He's left Australia at times over the years, but has been here since two thousand. He's a New Zealand citizen, not an Australian. Here's what the Administrative Appeals Tribunal says about Glen Taylor.
The applicant has an extensive criminal history between nineteen ninety three and twenty twenty three, who was convicted of over thirty five offenses, including common assault, contravening, apprehended domestic violence, order, drug possession, assault, occasioning actual bodily harm and stalk intimidation offense.
He has more than thirty five convictions and has served jail time for offenses including shoplifting, resisting police, carrying implements for breaking into cars, assaulting police, threatening witnesses, and breaching COVID rules. In two thousand and seven, while drunk, he entered the house of his partner, who had an AVO against him, threw a metal ash tray and screamed at her, you are the reason I'm going to jail. I'm going to fucking kill you. I'm going to use your face
as a bloody dart board. She barricaded herself and the children inside the bedroom and called police. Taylor bashed a man on a train after he refused to hand over his phone. He terrorized a neighbor, He breached more AVOs. He attacked and threatened police, resisted arrest and damaged property. He used ice and abused alcohol. He sent one hundred messages to a woman who'd taken out an AVO against him, and threatened dire consequences if she didn't withdraw the AVO.
In April twenty twenty three, his visa was canceled on character grounds, and Taylor appealed to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. He presented evidence he'd completed a remand domestic abuse course. In July twenty twenty three, Taylor was convicted of breaching an apprehended domestic violence order and his visa was again rejected. He went back to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, saying he
was sober and sorry for what he'd done. Aat Deputy President Antoinette Yunes, a solicitor and psychologist who was appointed by the Morrison government after serving as an advisor to former Minister Michaulia Cash, heard his case. We've used a voice actor to bring you her words.
During the hearing, The applicant accepted the seriousness of his conduct, and although there were occasions where he could not recall the specifics of his conduct, he nevertheless expressed remorse and apologies for his conduct. The Tribunal is satisfied that the applicant's apologies and expressions of remorse are genuine. The applicant contended that his criminal record should be considered in light of his traumatic brain injury which occurred in Australia in nineteen ninety seven.
That brain injury occurred when Taylor was assaulted, resulting in a fractured skull. Miss Yunes accepted that he was a risk to the community, that he had committed family violence offenses, and that he still has two active avios against him, but she accepted that he had strong ties to Australia,
including a sister. Although she said Taylor couldn't live with her and two adult sons, he believes he has an adult daughter, and Miss Yunes accepted that Taylor had nieces and nephews in Australia who could benefit from a relationship with him.
The Tribunal has satisfied that, given the lengthy period the applicant has spent in Australia, and although his ties may not appear to be strong, they are nevertheless ties which need to be considered in the context of a person who is vulnerable due to his brain injury and drug and alcohol dependence. It is reasonable to suggest that it is plausible that his criminal conduct, particularly the family violence, adversely impacted on his relationships and the strength of those ties.
The tribunal said it didn't have any evidence of the impact on Taylor's victims of him being allowed to stay. The Commonwealth fought against Taylor at every turn in the AAT. It argued he was a risk to society, he had no enduring ties to family, he was in fact a risk to his nieces and nephews because of his history of substance abuse and violence, and that the Australian community expects criminals like him to be deported. But the tribunal said this and this is why Glenn Taylor's case comes
back to the federal government. It's all about Direction ninety nine, a new policy introduced by Immigration Minister Andrew Giles, which says one of the factors the AAT must consider is the length and strength of an offender's ties to Australia. Here's what Antoinette Yune said in her tribunal decision. The Direction indicates that Australia will generally afford a higher level of tolerance of criminal or other serious conduct by non citizens who have lived in the Australian community for most
of their life or from a very young age. Direction ninety nine introduced the principle that the level of tolerance will rise with the length of time a non citizen has spent in the Australian community, particularly in their formative years. The applicant has been in Australia for most of his life, including during his formative years. He's on the Disability Support pension. He has a possible diagnosis of schizophrenia. He has depression and anxiety.
Although the Tribunal acts the respondent's contentions that the applicant could continue to receive commensurate treatment in New Zealand, which has comparable medical services available to that of Australia, the Tribunal is of the view that the brain injury presents a significant impediment on the applicant's ability to settle in New Zealand and navigate a different environment.
The Tribunal except in New Zealand had extensive health services Tailor could access. However, that access must be considered in the context of his brain injury, which would impact his ability to understand, engage and navigate new procedures. It is not far fetched to suggest that the brain injury could impact his ability to find employment, housing, and a support network. Taylor has a father in New Zealand, but he's nearly eighty and unlikely to be able to provide much help.
On the cumulative evidence, the Tribunal has satisfied that if removed from Australia, the applicant would experience significant mental, emotional, practical and financial hardships which would be difficult to overcome given his significant brain injury.
And so Tribunal Deputy President Antoinette Yunees revoked the cancelation of his visa. In other words, Glen Taylor wins. He gets to stay. After the break, one of Glen Taylor's victims speaks out for the first time the immigration scandaling golfing the Federal government could cost Anthony Albanezi his first Minister, and subscribers to The Australian have been following this issue in detail for months now. Join US by being the first to know. Subscribe at the Australian dot com dot
a U We'll be back after this break. One of Glen Taylor's victims, Jessica Mills, is speaking for the first time to The Australian today. She was a neighbor of Glenn Taylor.
What we went through no family should have to go through. Glenn should have been deported. Why is he still here? Why if they can let him in? And then there's criminal charges that have been laid against them time and time again. How many times did there have to be laid out for them to actually be like, all right, this person is not a good person in our country. Like you come to God's land, you follow the rules.
Jessica Mills told her story to our reporters Alexi Demitriati and Liam Mendez.
Came very clear, very quickly, and having that chatted with her across two days. She's a really strong, world smart and also of course brave woman. Single mum raised her five relatively young kids on the Central Coast and she is probably the first voice of a victim standing up during this crisis, calling for change, saying enough is enough or when is enough going to be enough? She is one of many victims across multiple convictions and multiple years
of a New Zealander called Glenn Taylor. Taylor was a then neighbor of her and her and her family were harassed. Taylor made a threat to Jessica if she didn't drop an avo. She took out against him and her property was vandalized and damaged by Taylor. He was convicted for those crimes in May of last year. She was keen to speak out and be a voice, hopefully to enact some form of change to address the system issues and make a permanent difference.
Direction ninety nine that's the ministerial policy that has caused the Albanese government so much grief. It was issued after intense lobbying by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden, who wanted to prevent Kiwis, who'd grown up in Australia and committed crimes in Australia sent back to New Zealand. Minister Andrew Giles has at various times blamed his department and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for the mess saying they've overemphasized
the importance of an offender's ties to Australia. The Minister says he never intended this to keep hardcore criminals in Australia, and that in fact the direction was supposed to make Australian women safer by introducing a new requirement for the tribunal to consider whether an offender had committed family violence crimes. But the Government has dumped Direction ninety nine and now it's struggling to avoid dumping the Minister himself.
Thanks Speaker. A short time ago I spoke with New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters. I spoke to him about the changes our government will soon be making to strengthen community safety in Australia. I conveyed to him that Direction ninety nine has not been working as intended and that we will be revoking Ministerial Director nine and issuing a new revised direction to make sure that the protection of the Australian community out was all other considerable books.
As the Minister concluded.
His answer, thanks for joining us on the front. This story is moving fast. You can get the latest right now by joining us at the Australian dot com dot au