Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Lambie, for talking to us about these amendments. We note your amendments, but the government will not be supporting them.

The Albanese government is taking a commonsense approach to visa cancellations, placing a priority on keeping the Australian people safe. This is a reasoned approach that appropriately deals with cancellation considerations for those who have lived almost their entire lives in Australia, which for some includes their formative years. The department will now also, importantly, consider the impact that a visa cancellation may have on children in Australia, and the limited connection that some may have to their country of citizenship. Where individuals pose a significant risk to the community, the Australian government will continue to cancel their visas and remove them. What we are looking at now is a commonsense approach for dealing with cancellation considerations for those who have lived almost their entire lives in Australia and who have limited connection to their country of citizenship. The new New Zealand Prime Minister, Mr Hipkins, has praised the Australian government for prioritising a commonsense approach.

As I've said previously, the Australian community has a reasonable expectation that noncitizens who seek to enter or remain in Australia are of good character and are law-abiding. Similarly, they expect any noncitizens who are not of good character to be refused a visa, or have any visa they hold cancelled. This bill does not change the framework within which the character test operates. Many of the other points I was going to make I have made already, so for those reasons we will be opposing the amendments moved by Senators Lambie and Tyrell.