Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s proposal to change the Australian constitution to give Ministers discretionary power to extinguish the citizenship of dual nationals who’ve been convicted of a crime, in order to deport them is an extreme and reactionary proposal that will have dire, far-reaching consequences.
Mr Dutton’s deportation plan would be particularly dangerous for citizens who have fled war, persecution and conflict and found asylum in Australia. Deporting Australian citizens to the country where they face persecution may breach Australia’s international obligations and the central principle of non-refoulement in Article 33 of the 1951 Refugees Convention.
Domestically, the effect of Mr Dutton’s proposal will be to treat some Australians as second-class citizens with fewer rights. The Australian justice system is fully equipped to handle individuals convicted of crimes, and the High Court of Australia has ruled against extrajudicial punishment for convictions.
This proposal would mean families will be separated and people permanently prevented from returning to their home in Australia.
“Peter Dutton’s plan for a referendum to deport Australian citizens is emblematic of his practice of targeting refugees, people seeking asylum and migrants during election campaigns for what he perceives as personal political gain,” says Zaki Haidari, Amnesty International Australia’s Refugee Rights Campaigner.
“In previous election years, Mr Dutton has lied about ‘African gangs’ in Melbourne and falsely claimed that many Lebanese Australians were ‘foreign fighters’, now he is trying to convince us that there is some sort of crime crisis among people with dual citizenship. At best, this plan is another racist dog-whistle from Peter Dutton in the lead up to an election. At worst, this policy would be an extremely serious threat to the human rights of refugees, people seeking asylum and migrants from racial minorities and an assault on what it means to be an Australian citizen.”
“The proposal from Mr Dutton continues a pattern of Australian political leaders disregarding fundamental human rights and failing to provide vulnerable individuals with the protections they are entitled to under international law.”
Zaki Haidari, Amnesty International Australia’s Refugee Rights Campaigner
Amnesty Australia is calling on all political parties and candidates to refrain from using vulnerable communities as political footballs this election season. The organisation recently joined with other refugee rights advocacy groups and wrote to the leaders of Australia’s political parties urging them to approach issues around people who have fled conflict and persecution with dignity and respect, protecting Australia’s proud multicultural society.
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who take injustice personally. We are campaigning for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all – and we can only do it with your support.
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