The government is giving a new Ministerial Direction to the AAT on visa cases, telling it to make community safety paramount in considering appeals from non-citizens with serious criminal records.

A significant number of the former detainees have run foul of the law since their release. After the matter was reported, the ministers did a single interview each as they tried to dodge the spotlight.

The High Court isn’t usually front and centre in politics. But when it is, it can land unexpected punches that throw governments off balance.