Dutton calls for visa cancellations for those convicted of antisemitism

If Peter Dutton is elected prime minister, his Coalition government will expel non-citizens and people who are in Australia on visas if they have committed acts of antisemitism. This new category of the law will be retrospective to October 7, 2023.

Dutton made this bold declaration to resounding applause from the 600 people in attendance at an hour-long discussion at Sydney’s Emanuel Synagogue on Thursday evening.

“When we were in government we cancelled visas, with a particular focus on serious criminals,” Dutton said in a discussion with Gemma Tognini, a columnist with The Australian. The session was one of two held by Emanuel with political candidates last week. On Friday night the synagogue hosted a dinner for the independent member for Wentworth, Allegra Spender.  

“Section 501 of the Migration Act allows us to cancel visas of migrants and non-citizens if they have committed crimes against Australians,” Dutton explained. “Our proposal is to reform the Act to capture people who have committed acts of antisemitism. We shouldn’t be ashamed to say that if you hate our country or hate a segment of our population, I don’t know why we would tolerate your presence.”

Dutton: “The 3000 people we brought in from Gaza without security checks is without precedence in this country’s history. If you bring in people from a war zone controlled by a listed terror organisation and on tourist visas without checks, it’s negligent at best. Before we lifted people out of Syria and Kabul and before we brought in Yazidi people, we spent months getting checks.

“Once somebody comes here on a visa, for example out of Gaza, if they claim protection it takes seven years in the courts before they can appeal a decision to deny them citizenship. My point is that once somebody is here, they’re essentially here to stay, unless there are exceptional circumstances and particularly if it’s not possible to repatriate them. So you need to be certain.”