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July 19, 2011 – Just recently, the federal government of Australia has passed the proposed immigration law that would refuse convicted detainees from getting any visas for Australia.
Under the new migration law, the Australian Senate has allowed the Minister for Immigration discretionary authority to refuse or cancel in granting any visa from Australia to anyone convicted of a criminal offence.

This newly passed immigration law has cost convicted immigration detainees any chance of staying in Australia permanently as the new bill means that any immigration detainee convicted of a criminal offence while in immigration detention can be refused any visas Australian or even have a visa Australian cancelled upon the discretion of the Minister for Immigration.
The proposed bill was created and was passed in May by the House of Representatives following the aftermath of the riots that occurred earlier this year at the immigration detention centres at Christmas Island and Villawood.
In an effort to control and prevent further rioting of the detention centers, which was said to be due to poor housing condition, the new bill was created and passed.
However, the Migration Amendment Bill 2011(Strengthening the Character Test and Other Provisions) is still yet to get the Royal Assent.
Meanwhile, during the debate Greens Senator Sarah-Hanson Young has condemned the bill as an ‘appalling piece of legislation’ as the newly passed bill will take power away from the court, leaving the power to decide to the minister for immigration.
Ms. Young further to the Senate expounded that the said legislation is simply aimed for the purpose of punishing vulnerable people, twice over because of their situation for it will just impose another level of punishment on a person in addition to the punishment already imposed by the court.

Senator young otherwise said that the new bill “could undermine our basic principles of law, access to justice, the principles of a democratic justice system and of course our international obligation” as it puts one minister above the courts of our land.

Source:
skynews.com.au