February 28, 2025
JOHN MACKENZIE: Mr Dutton said his government, if elected, would look to amend the Migration Act and, if required, the constitution to allow for deportation on the grounds of vilification. Any number of people have been calling for this, but they don't want to say it to out loud. oh no, we don't want to be seen as racist. This is not racism. This is a practical response from Peter Dutton. If he is indeed elected the Prime Minister of this country under section 501 of the Migration Act. The Immigration minister may refuse or revoke a visa if a person doesn't pass the country's character test. Mr. Dutton said the High Court currently had limited application of that power. He said if a referendum was required to increase the power to revoke citizenship, his Coalition government would undertake one. At long last, at long last, we're hearing of responses that might, in fact, have an impact on this nightmare that's engulfing our country. I've just put a call through to Senator James Paterson, who has also been very outspoken on this particular front, Liberal Party of Australia. He's the Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Shadow Minister for Cyber Security and Shadow Cabinet Secretary. James good morning.
JAMES PATERSON: Great to be with you.
MACKENZIE: And great to hear from you this morning, too. Let's go right back to, well, the beginning of not so much the beginning of this nightmare, but just recently, the front page stories seemingly not only elevating the level of fear within Australia but also elevating writing, elevating the level of awareness of the threat to our country.
PATERSON: Mike Burgess, the Director General of ASIO, made those comments in response to questions I asked him in Senate Estimates this week, and I was genuinely shocked by his answers. I know we have a serious problem in this country with antisemitism. I've been deeply concerned about it, particularly over the last 16 months. But to hear the head of our domestic security intelligence agency say that a form of racism against a group of Australians is the number one concern for an organisation that deals with terrorism and foreign interference and espionage and communal violence and many other threats to our safety and way of life, Is an extraordinary statement. And it just shows, frankly, how out of control this problem has got over the last 15 months, and why really strong leadership and strong action is required to get it back under control because frankly, it's un-Australian.
MACKENZIE: Exactly. Can I just ask you your response to hear that Peter Dutton said his government would hold a referendum on revoking citizenship for Australians who commit terrorist acts in the wake of a pledge to act on antisemitism? I think a whole lot of people have been taken by surprise. But they're also, I think, encouraged by the possible effectiveness of this particular step. What are your thoughts on it?
PATERSON: I think what Australians know about Peter Dutton is that he will do whatever is necessary to protect our country and to keep us safe, and if it is necessary to hold a referendum to change the Constitution to fix that problem, he's prepared to keep that on the table. That is an option we will seriously consider. Now, there are other things that we can do prior to holding a referendum, and we'll have more to say about the specifics of that in the lead-up to the election. But the principle will be really clear here. If you're a guest in our country, if you come to our country, if you have tried to become part of Australia, but you fundamentally reject your allegiance to our country or the values of our country. Well, then, we've got the right to reconsider you being here. And we will cancel visas, and we will revoke citizenships if necessary to fix that problem, because this is a great country. It's a harmonious country. And there are millions of people all around the world who want to come here. We can afford to be discerning in choosing who comes to this country, and we should choose people who want to make it better, not who want to make it worse.
MACKENZIE: Yes, the immigration policies are very much under scrutiny at the moment. But also, those who seemingly showing allegiance to some of these terrorist organisations leaving Australia and then using their visa to come back into Australia. Has the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, for example, apparently Australians did attend there. They intend to come back to Australia. The Suggestion has been made that their visas could be denied or withdrawn if they come back to Australia. Is that a possibility, and should it happen?
PATERSON: This has been some extraordinary reporting by Sharri Markson on Sky News. Yes, she's demonstrated that Australians have left the country to attend a funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, the deceased leader of a listed terrorist organisation. And what we don't yet know is how many of these people are Australian citizens and how many people are visa holders. But my view is if they're visa holders, then their visas should have already been cancelled. They have violated all provisions of the Migration Act, particularly the character provisions, and they should never be allowed to return. If they are citizens, the Minister for Home Affairs, Tony Burke, has the power to apply for what's called a Temporary Exclusion Order that allows us to keep these people offshore for a period of time while they are investigated for potentially associating with a listed terrorist organisation so that they could be charged with those offences when they returned.
MACKENZIE: Can I just bring up this one too? Over decades, of course, we've had an alliance, a friendship between Australia and Israel. I'm just quoting from the Australian today. Foreign Minister Penny Wong failed to secure a meeting with Israeli representatives on a United Nations trip late last year, where she demanded the Jewish homeland halt its military actions against terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah and instead sat down with Iran, the Palestinian Authority and the former New Zealand leader, Jacinda Ardern. Has this been an appropriate performance by our Foreign Minister, James?
PATERSON: No is the short answer, and it's very difficult to understand what the Foreign Minister thought it was appropriate and preferable to meet with those countries rather than the visiting Israeli delegation that was there, represented by the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, particularly because the Foreign Minister has been moving our voting position at the United Nations away from the long-standing bipartisan consensus of voting with Israel and the United States at the UN against extreme one-sided motions. Now we're voting for those motions, or in some cases, abstaining from them instead of voting against them, which we did not only under the Howard government and not under the Morrison and Abbott and Turnbull governments but also under the Rudd and Gillard governments. So we have the most anti-Israel position at the United Nations than we have ever had as a country. It has happened on Anthony Albanese's and Penny Wong's watch. But they promised Australians before the last election there would be no changes to our position on these issues if they won, and there was no difference with the Liberal Party on these issues.
MACKENZIE: Really appreciate this contribution today. Thanks, James.
PATERSON: Thank you.
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