More than 20 visas of foreigners with serious criminal histories have been cancelled by Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.
The federal government had previously cancelled the visas of non-citizens convicted of crimes including murder, sexual assault and drug trafficking.
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal overturned hundreds of cancellations under its interpretation of a ministerial ruling, known as Direction 99, which required decision-makers to consider a person’s ties to Australia before deporting them.
Mr Giles has been under intense pressure after it emerged that criminals, including a man charged with the stabbing murder of a 22-year-old and another man convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl, had their visa cancellations overturned by the AAT under the directive.
After vowing to urgently review at least 30 decisions made by the independent tribunal, a spokesperson from Mr Giles’ office confirmed he had more than doubled the number of re-cancelled visas over the weekend.
Officials said they were working “as quickly as they can” to rewrite new ministerial directive to replace direction 99, which is expected to have a priority focus on community safety.
Treasury expects weak growth for March quarter
Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy has told senate estimates he expects new data this week will reveal “very weak growth” in the economy for the March quarter.
He said cost of living and high interest rates had hit consumption and was the primary driver of the slowdown.
“In contrast to household spending, private business investment has been growing strongly,” he said.
“Despite the recent slowdown in economic activity, the labour market has remained resilient, and the unemployment rate only recently increased to 4.1 per cent in April.”
Meanwhile, Dr Kennedy said ‘he’s quite comfortable’ with the company tax rate after Industry Minister Ed Husic suggested a change was needed.
Last month, Mr Husic advocated for either a reduction in the company taxation rate or via the establishment of an economy-wide investment allowance.
“I think in the light of the current circumstances, the company tax rate is appropriate.”
Dr Kennedy said he was open to corporate tax being discussed in future as part of a tax reform conversation.
He said the government in this year’s budget had tried strike a balance between “what it’s done in the past – which has been a very substantial (fiscal) consolidation – and then it’s taking a set of decisions that in our forecasts still see inflation returning to the band”.
“It’s a fine balance to be struck,” he said.
Wong takes aim at Dutton over ICC
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said Australia has been confronted with a “catastrophic set of circumstances in Gaza” after blasting Peter Dutton’s threat to cut ties with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Appearing at a Senate estimates hearing on Monday, Senator Wong said the Australian government was considering what it can do to “progress the cause of peace” from afar after being questioned over Australia’s vote to grant Palestine full membership at the United Nations earlier this month.
She said the government had “made it clear” that a Palestinian state could not be established in a way would threaten Israeli security.
“This is a very complex problem that has not been able to be resolved, eluded resolution from leaders and presidents and people with much more diplomatic capacity than you or I will ever have,” Senator Wong said.
“But what we can do in this country is try to do the right thing in terms of Australia’s engagement to progress peace.”
Senator Wong also took aim at the Opposition Leader in her opening statement after he suggested that the government should pull out of the ICC after it called for the arrest of Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We do nothing to help make (abiding by international law) it happen by recklessly threatening to pull out of the bodies that uphold international law – that kind of talk may seem tough to some, but it undermines Australia’s core security interests,” she said.
Reopening preselections ‘crazy’: Jane Hume
Liberal senator Jane Hume has hit out at suggestions that Josh Frydenberg should contest his old seat of Kooyong in the next federal election.
The former treasurer is reportedly considering running for the Melbourne seat after the Australian Electoral Commission announced new draft electorate boundaries on Friday.
Liberal MP Karen Andrews said Mr Frydenberg would be an “absolute asset” to the party in the lead up to 2025.
“(The Liberal Party) should do all they can to attract him back into our parliament and clearly if that means reopening preselections then that has to be considered,” Ms Andrews told ABC…
Read More: Parliament live: Minister scraps criminals visas, Liberals split over Kooyong