Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Migration Amendment (Character Cancellation Consequential Provisions) Bill 2016. In doing so, I would like to echo the words of the former Prime Minister, John Howard, who said famously, 'We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come.' For it is our strict and fair immigration policies that have delivered us a safe and stable Australia. Australia is a nation built by migrants. A healthy and sustainable migrant program has always been at the heart of that growth and, indeed, at the heart of our nation's prosperity.

Consecutive waves of migration have delivered strong and prosperous multiethnic population centres. I am the son of migrants who travelled to this country from Italy and seized the opportunity to work hard for their fortune in this nation, and who have been rewarded in many more ways than can be measured financially. I am, in essence, the product of the strong and fair migratory system which has, of course, long existed in this country. You need only look at the current state of affairs across Europe to see a case in point for the systematic failing of immigration policies in the European Union.

Whilst one must always be careful in drawing comparisons when it comes to policy, it is abundantly clear to me that when migratory processes breakdown chaos quickly follows. In the European experience, we have seen large numbers of people crossing the Mediterranean Sea at their peril—a situation which occurred in our own waters under the failed policies of the Labor governments not that long ago. In the European experience, they have forfeited the ability to apply a rigorous character assessment of migrants, and the result has been profound.

Those that advocate an open door migratory policy should heed the dire warnings which have been laid out by the European experience. The other end of the spectrum, arguably, is occupied by the example of Australia's comprehensive and fair policies enacted and enforced under this government. Whilst this government has stopped the flow of illegal maritime arrivals into this nation, we also remain committed to ensuring that our migration policies, across the board, deliver the best possible outcome for our national interest. It is of course critical that we maintain a strong process to ensure that only people of good character are granted entry into Australia via visas.

Australia enjoys some of the safest and happiest communities in the world and whilst we face many challenges as a country we cannot benefit from granting people of poor character entry into our home. There is an expectation in the community that the government will act in a responsible manner in this space. If we are to remain a safe and prosperous society, we must continue to exercise due diligence when it comes to character assessment. The safety and security of our citizens is the foremost priority of this government, and it is against such a compact that we continue to strengthen our immigration standards, as we do in this bill today.

This bill makes a number of amendments to the Migration Act to improve coherency and consistency in the character related provisions, consequential to the amendments made by the Migration Amendment (Character and General Visa Cancellation) Act 2014. Crucially, this bill ensures that confidential information that is critical to decision making under the new character cancellation provisions receives the same level of protection as that currently afforded to confidential information relating to other character provisions in the Migration Act. It aligns the definition of 'character concern' in the Migration Act with the character test, to ensure consistency and coherency between the operation of the two related provisions and to ensure that the department is able to identify noncitizens who have a criminal history or who have character that is of concern.

This bill will also give effect to the policy of mandatory cancellation. It will put beyond doubt that a noncitizen who is subject to a mandatory character cancellation decision is to be removed from Australia if they do not seek revocation within the relevant time period or, indeed, if they are unsuccessful in having their visa reinstated. That will deliver a better process for our citizens. Consistent with the original intent of the character and cancellation act, this will facilitate the lawful disclosure of noncitizens' identifying information where a noncitizen is suspected of being of a character of concern.

This bill demonstrates this government's clear and continuing commitment to ensuring that noncitizens who pose a risk to the Australian community are dealt with effectively, efficiently and comprehensively. It has been documented that, since this government brought in tougher cancellation provisions, there have been more visas cancelled. It stands to reason. The media, of course, have kicked up a fuss, particularly about our cousins across the ditch in New Zealand who have had their visas revoked, but I must stress that these actions are never taken lightly and that, in a vast majority of cases, individuals of ill repute have been removed from our country because of their own actions. In a sense, they are authors of their own circumstance.

Access to Australia via a visa or the grant of Australian citizenship is a high privilege. It is a privilege that billions across the planet will never achieve, notwithstanding that many of them aspire to it. It is absolutely essential that we ensure that those who visit this country are of good character and it is absolutely right that we revoke the visas of those who do not meet that exacting standard. Our comprehensive and secure migratory program protects that privilege, and I am proud of the coalition's record in this space. We have consistently made the tough decisions when it comes to immigration policy in Australia, and it is no different today.

It is not enough that we screen candidates thoroughly in the visa process. We must ensure that whilst they are in our nation they meet their mutual obligations under their visas. It is paramount that we hold each and every person to account for their actions. In doing so we deliver a clear message that we demand that those on visas adhere to our expectations as a nation. I again echo the words of former Prime Minister John Howard: 'We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come.' Indeed, I wholeheartedly agree with the intent of this bill, which ensures that we will decide who will stay in this country and that they will deliver on their mutual obligations.

This government is delivering a safer and more prosperous nation, and it is doing it without compromising our long-held position on tough but fair migratory policies. It is in the national interest that we continue to deliver a targeted and fair program, and we should never relinquish our capacity to cancel visas and indeed citizenship of those of poor character. 1 commend this bill to the House.

See this speech in context