Home Affairs says people smugglers could take advantage of Labor’s bid to black-ban entire nationalities under its deportation bill by telling vulnerable people there is no legal way for them to travel to Australia.
“Some people smugglers may seek to use some of the measures in the proposed legislation to market their services to vulnerable potential irregular immigrants, suggesting there is no legal way for them to travel to Australia,” Home Affairs’ submission said in reference to the third measure. “We know that people smugglers look at any changes, whether they are real or perceived, and they sell them,” he said.
Former immigration department deputy secretaries Abul Rizvi and Peter Hughes warned that black-banning entire nationalities would not persuade their governments to take back citizens who don’t wish to return. Home Affairs officials said people in that cohort could lodge a request for ministerial intervention.Australian Human Rights Commission president Rosalind Croucher called the entire bill “problematic”, while the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre also warned domestic violence victims placed on bridging visas could be affected as there were no other appropriate visas for them.