New legislation has been passed that prohibits foreigners who have been convicted of domestic violence from entering Australia. The Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Act 2019 has amended the Migration Act 1958 to focus on perpetrators of violence against women and children. Immigration Minister David Coleman said;
“Wherever the offence occurred, whatever the sentence, Australia will have no tolerance for domestic violence perpetrators.”
This legislation was passed as the previously existing laws only allowed the Government to revoke Visas of foreigners who failed a character test or who had spent 12 months in jail.
Though previously in 2015, singer Chris Brown was refused an Australian Visa for his planned concerts due to his 2009 conviction of assault and threatening to kill his then-girlfriend Rihanna, it was not common practice for the every-day person to be refused a Visa for Domestic Violence convictions.
However, we are pleased to note that this has now been written into the Migration Act to protect Australians and focus on reducing the number of Domestic Violence incidents in Australia.
If you have been affected by domestic violence, or have any queries in relation to the issues raised in this article, please do not hesitate to contact us on (02) 8917 8700, or fill out the enquiry box and we will get back to you ASAP.
Our free legal workshop on 15-16 March will cover domestic violence issues. Please consider coming along, and registering here - you can remain anonymous.