ASPI Head of strategic policing and law enforcement Dr John Coyne says the High Court ruling indefinite detention illegal has restored hope in people smugglers.
“There’s a great irony about our strategy of dealing with irregular maritime arrivals," he told Sky News Australia.
“We’re the lucky country, yet in order to stop boat arrivals, what we had to do was extinguish hope that anyone would ever be resettled in Australia.
“Over the last month of so there has been significant changes in that assessment, and certainly for people looking to move via maritime means, for people smugglers, all of a sudden there is a return of hope.
“Unfortunately for the lucky country that does mean there is going to be a greater attraction to using people smugglers to try to arrive in Australia.”
The High Court overturned indefinite detention on November 8, triggering the release of over 140 detainees.
