Australians convicted of terrorism offences could be stripped of their citizenship and deported as long as the Home Affairs minister is “reasonably satisfied” they are citizens of another nation, under changes announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday.
The prime minister said he wanted the sweeping reforms passed by Christmas, in the final parliamentary sitting weeks of 2018, meaning opposition and crossbench MPs will only get two weeks to consider the laws.
The reforms would significantly lower the bar for deportation. Currently, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton can only strip citizenship from those with a prison sentence of more than six years for a terror offence.
Scott Morrison outlined the tough new laws on Thursday.
SBS News
Under the changes, any conviction would be enough. And the minister would only need to be “reasonably satisfied” they were citizens of another country.
Revocation of citizenship has been reserved for dual-citizens to make sure Australia does not render a person stateless.
“The current wording of the law, we believe is unrealistic,” Mr Morrison said.
“Terrorists have violated everything about being what an Australian is all about. It's a crime against our country, not just other citizens,” he said.
“This is something that can't be tolerated, and for those who would engage in this sort of activity, and they have citizenship elsewhere, and we have reason to believe they do, they can go. That is the message.”
The government will also push for changes to how it deals with citizens who try to return to Australia after fighting with a terrorist organisation overseas.
