Tony Abbott asks in this video:
1. Why did Monis get permanent residency in Australia?
2. Why did he get benefits all these years?
3. Why wasn't his gun licence checked?
3. Despite his record of violence, why was he out on bail?
4. Why wasn't he on a watch list?
5. Did Police make the right call in refraining from using a sniper to kill him?
6. Did police, security and immigration agencies adequately monitor Monis and properly co-ordinate their response as the picture of a troubled and dangerous man emerged?
Abbott said that lessons have to be learned and new strategies put in place to prevent this sort of thing ever happening again. This is incredulous!
Scipione was adamant police did all they could to stop Monis being released on bail as they were concerned that Monis got bail from the very beginning when police charged Monis with more than 30 sexual and indecent assault charges in October. But prosecutors did not seek a review of his bail despite his being charged with a dozen similar offences and was accused of being an accessory to the murder of his ex wife.
Mr Abbott said there had been "incredulity" within his government on learning the extent of Monis' criminal background. We need to know how someone with such a long record of violence, such a long record of mental instability, was out on bail after his involvement in a particularly horrific crime.
However, a NSW Police Force statement said the Department of Public Prosecutions was of the belief in October that Monis would be released regardless of an attempt to revoke his bail. On two previous occasions, NSW Police had refused bail to Monis but bail was subsequently granted by the court. While police continued to hold the view the offender should not be released on bail, as indicated in the Fact Sheet, the DPP held the contrary view that in light of the court's previous position, bail would not be opposed.
Scipione said Monis might not have been granted bail had he been on a terror watch list a federal responsibility. We work on a priority-based system. If somebody is on a national security watch list, then we pay particular attention to them, but on this occasion Monis was not on that list despite court documents showing that Monis claimed in 2011 that he had previously held a gun licence but that it had "expired many years ago".
Mr Abbott confirmed that Monis had been on an ASIO "watch list" in 2008/2009 but the security agency had ended their surveillance of him. He also left open the possibility of giving ASIO and law enforcement agencies more money and powers to monitor people deemed a risk, though he stressed the government had already allocated an extra $630 million to these agencies in August.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/tony...22125194&promote_channel=edmail&mbnr=MzYzOTY3
