If the dam has burst for immigration minister Andrew Giles, we may not know for a while
Will another round of damaging immigration headlines prompt Labor's first ministerial loss?
The Opposition has been calling for Immigration Minister Andrew Giles’ head for months. If the dam finally burst this week, that may only become obvious in a pre-election reshuffle.
A directive Giles signed in January last year – dubbed Directive 99 – was designed to end long-running tension between Canberra and Wellington over the deportation of New Zealanders who had spent most of their life in Australia.
At the time it was announced, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the order, which requires the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) to consider a person’s ties to Australia a “primary consideration” when mulling deportation, as “common sense”. A Home Affairs spokesperson insisted visas would continue to be cancelled “where individuals pose a risk to the community”.
But the AAT has since cited it in multiple cases where it allowed foreign-born criminals to remain in Australia, including one where the individual allegedly went on to commit murder. The Australian reported that Home Affairs warned in 2022 that the directive could impact up to 2800 visa cases.
