Australia is delivering a strong message to anyone who has been convicted of domestic abuse in the whole world: You are not welcome here.
The nation has recently broadened a migration law so that it bars any person who has been convicted of domestic violence anywhere in the world. They will not be able to get a visa to enter the country of Australia anymore.
This has already impacted people like American R&B singer Chris Brown and boxing star Floyd Mayweather had been banned from the country following their domestic violence convictions. Now the ban applies to all foreign visitors or residents who have been found guilty of violence against women or children.
This new law will also affect convicted domestic abusers who already have visas and are living in Australia. They can be kicked out under the new rule.
“Australia has no tolerance for perpetrators of violence against women and children,” Federal Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman said in a public statement. “The message is clear: if you’ve been convicted of a violent crime against women or children, you are not welcome in this country, wherever the offence occurred, whatever the sentence.”
Not everyone is happy about this move. “By cancelling the visas of criminals we have made Australia a safer place,” Coleman said. “These crimes inflict long lasting trauma on the victims and their friends and family, and foreign criminals who commit them are not welcome in our country.”
New Zealand has a history of criticizing Australia’s policy of exporting convicts. This new policy could cause New Zealanders who have already served their sentences for domestic violence and lived in Australia most of their lives to be kicked out and sent to live in New Zealand.
This new law has raised questions about when justice has been served and the role of rehabilitation in domestic violence convictions.
