WA grandmother Ninette Simons calls for detainee inquiry after brutal alleged home invasion attack

The Perth grandmother who was allegedly bashed unconscious by a former immigration detainee inside her home has called for an inquiry into the events that led up to the traumatic ordeal.

Ninette Simons, 73, and her husband Philip, 76, voiced their concerns to Shadow immigration minister Dan Tehan and Liberal Senator Matt O’Sullivan on Thursday as they continue their search for answers as to how three men allegedly posed as police officers before committing an aggravated home burglary on April 16.

One of the men accused of attacking the couple in their Girrawheen home is Kuwait-born man Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan — one of the 153 non-citizens released into the community after the High Court ruled indefinite detention was unlawful.

Speaking with Mrs Simons at a scheduled meeting inside their home, Mr Tehan said: “Errors had been made (by the Government) right through the system”.

“My personal view is that if nothing else, that there should be some sort of inquiry,” he said.

The elderly couple said they “absolutely” support an inquiry into the Government’s handling of the former detainee.

“We worked hard and we thought our retirement was going to be good, but it’s a real shambles at the moment,” Mrs Simons said.

“I feel I don’t even want to be here, I just think ‘what is the point’... I shouldn’t be left on this earth.”

Mr Doukoshkan was not wearing an ankle bracelet when he allegedly entered the Simons’ home after the Commonwealth’s community protection board advised against it.

Mrs Simons and her husband say they don’t feel safe inside their home after the attack.

Senator O’Sullivan has spoken with not-for-profit organisations who said they would be “willing to help” increase security measures at the home after the couple raised concerns about reprisal attacks.

“I wouldn’t mind if somebody could put a roller shutter for that window at least, that’s where our heads are at... I’m so scared they are going come with guns next time and just blast us,” Mrs Simons said.

Mr Tehan said he wanted to meet with Mrs Simons to hear her concerns.

The visit was booked in before it emerged Mr Prime Minister Anthony Albanese did not meet Mrs Simons during his flying visit to Perth on Wednesday.

Mrs Simons has spoken on the phone with Immigration Minister Andrew Giles and received a visit from her local MP Anne Aly.

On Thursday a spokesperson for the Albanese Government said they would not commit to an inquiry while the case was before the courts.

“We have seen in the past how politically-motivated Parliamentary inquiries and Parliamentary commentary can impact the outcomes of police investigations,” they said.

The Liberals’ visit came on the eve of a High Court judgment that could trigger the release of more than 150 detainees into the community and create a new political headache for the Albanese Government.

The court will at 10am hand down its judgment in the case of an Iranian detainee who is refusing to cooperate with authorities amid fears he could face the death penalty if deported back to Iran due to his sexuality.

Mr Tehan described the decision as “incredibly significant”.

“The most important thing is that the Government does the work to prepare for whatever the decision might be so that we can keep Australians safe — that is the number one job of any government is to keep citizens safe.”

“Our hope is that the Government wins, but they just need to be prepared for whatever that eventuality is.”

The challenge sprung from last year’s bombshell High Court verdict on the NZYQ case that found it was unlawful to indefinitely detain people with no prospect of deportation.

The nation’s highest court heard the man — known in the case as ASF17 — was prepared to be deported to anywhere else in the world, even war-torn Gaza.

The Commonwealth’s lawyers argued the man could return to Iran but was simply choosing not to.

The decision could result in between 150 and 200 detainees being released into the community, adding to the 153 freed after the NZYQ ruling in November.

The Federal Government tried in March to rush through emergency laws to pre-empt the ASF17 case before the Coalition and the Greens joined forces to stall its passage.

The proposed new laws would impose mandatory minimum sentences of 12 months for detainees who resist deportation and allow the immigration minister to deny visas to anyone from countries that don’t accept involuntary returns — such as Iran.

The Coalition is demanding major changes while the Greens are outright opposed, meaning Labor will need to rewrite the Bill if it wants to get it through Parliament.