The Australian Government has revived an old law to boot out immigrants who pose a risk to their country – and the majority are Kiwis.
Under section 116 of Australia's Migration Act the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, has the power to cancel an immigrants visa.
Brisbane lawyer Joel McComber joined Māori TV’s Kawekōrero Reporters programme and says most people getting their visas cancelled are New Zealand citizens.
He says, “If a child has come to Australia as an infant and they’ve spent decades living here, I don’t think it’s fair that their right to reside in Australia can be taken away from them.”
“Most New Zealand citizens in most instances are automatically granted a special category visa when they enter Australia. So there’s no formal visa application process.
"When your passport gets scanned through when you arrive in Australia, you're just automatically granted a special category visa."
But if Minister Peter Dutton is satisfied the visa holder poses a risk to the health, safety or good order of the Australian community then he has sole discretion to cancel their visa.