Criminals get the boot

Hundreds of thugs lose Australian visas

KILLERS, gangsters, suspected terrorists and spies from almost 100 countries are among those unceremoniously chucked out of Australia in one of the biggest purges of “undesirables” in recent times.

And suspected dissidents and undesirables from China top the list of foreigners removed involuntarily from Australia in the past 12 months, with their visas cancelled for posing “a risk to the health, safety or good order of the Australian community”.

Figures obtained from the Home Affairs Department under Freedom of Information show citizens from half the world’s countries have been removed from our shores, with COVID-19 global flight restrictions proving no barrier.

Indeed in 2020, more foreigners were removed for either having served 12 months or more in prison or for being deemed a threat to the community than during the previous eight years.

From May 1 to December 16, 2020, the Australian Border Force removed 238 “unlawful citizens”, with another 14 having their visas cancelled. This is on top of the 342 removed in July 1 2019 to April 2020.

Most of those removed under section 501 of the Migration Act — where a visa holder has been sentenced to 12 months jail or found guilty of a sex-based crime involving a child — were from New Zealand, followed by the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Fiji, India, China and the United States.

Of those removed under section 106 of the Act for posing a risk to the Australian community, the numbers are smaller with fewer than 10 from each country starting with China, India, New Zealand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

According to the figures provided by Home Affairs, China has topped this category every year since 2012.

In all, citizens from 98 nations have been voluntarily or involuntarily removed, with more than 1800 New Zealanders alone since 2012.

A spokesman for Australian Border Force said there were strong provisions allowing Minister Peter Dutton or a delegate to refuse or cancel a visa if that person was no longer considered of good character.

“A significant reduction in the availability of commercial flights has impacted ABF’s ability to conduct escorted removals of high-risk individuals,” the spokesman said. “The ABF has conducted charter removal operations … during COVID-19 restrictions.”