Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has renewed pressure on Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs, strongly hinting she should quit over her criticism of the Abbott government's policy of stopping asylum-seeker boats.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Speaking on Sunday, Mr Dutton, who has clashed with Professor Triggs on the Coalition's approach to asylum seekers, said "when you reduce the position to basically that of a political advocate, I think it is very difficult to continue on".
"These are issues for Professor Triggs to contemplate," he told The Bolt Report on Channel Ten.
His criticism of Professor Triggs comes just days after he demanded she apologise for comments she made about the government's policy of stopping asylum-seeker boats from entering Australian waters.
Last week, at a forum in Adelaide, she said: "Have we thought about what the consequences are of pushing people back to our neighbour Indonesia? Is it any wonder that Indonesia will not engage with us on other issues that we care about, like the death penalty?"
In response, Mr Dutton suggested Professor Triggs had made a link between the government's policy on asylum seeker boats and the executions of Bali nine drug smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
Professor Triggs said that she was not referring to their specific cases, but ending the death penalty in the region more broadly.
On Sunday, Mr Dutton was asked directly if she should resign.
"You've put me in a tough position. Obviously, Professor Triggs is an appointment of the Attorney-General," he said, before adding that she should consider her future.
Professor Triggs' position is a statutory one that is due to finish in 2017. She cannot be sacked unless she commits a criminal offence.
Despite previous clashes with the government, she has previously said she is "absolutely determined" to stay on in the role.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the government had lost confidence in the Human Rights Commissioner. He described the Commission's inquiry into children in detention as a "political stitch-up".
Professor Triggs has continued to be a vocal critic of the government's approach to human rights issues.
On Friday, in speech, she hit out at the expansion of discretionary ministerial powers in Australia.
"The overreach of executive power is clear in the yet to be defined proposal that those accused of being jihadists fighting against Australian interests will be stripped of their citizenship if they are potentially dual nationals," she said in a speech to a Human Rights Law Centre dinner.
Professor Triggs' office has been approached for comment.
