<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/02/misleading-80000-people-in-australia-may-be-affected-by-proposed-powers-to-deport-non-citizens-to-nauru-ntwnfb>
"Up to 80,000 people in Australia may be affected by the Albanese government’s
proposed powers to strip basic legal protections from the noncitizens it plans
to deport to Nauru, refugee lawyers warn.
The proposed federal powers, revealed last Wednesday, are expected to pass
parliament this week with the Coalition’s support at a snap two-hour committee
hearing scheduled for Wednesday night.
The home affairs bill will deny natural justice to noncitizens on a removal
pathway, as well as legally validate all of the government’s visa decisions
made before the high court’s NZYQ ruling in November 2023 that may now be
considered unlawful.
It comes as the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, struck a $400m deal last
week with Nauru to offload hundreds of noncitizens to the tiny Pacific nation,
though the details of the arrangement remain a secret.
The Refugee Legal executive director, David Manne, said the bill’s broad scope
to apply to tens of thousands of people within Australia was an “extreme
overreach” and like taking a “sledgehammer to a walnut”.
“It strikes at the heart of fundamental protections under Australian law, our
international obligations, and the values which underpin them: humanity,
compassion, fairness and justice,” he said.
The country’s peak legal body, the Law Council of Australia, has also raised
its concerns about the level of scrutiny the bill will receive before its
expected passing, and whether the prospect of it applying retrospectively is
against the rule of law."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
