Community Migrant Rights Campaign – Responding to the Deportation Act 

Everybody deserves to live with dignity and fairness, regardless of visa status. But refugees and migrants are being singled out for harsher treatment by Australia’s cruel migration laws.

In November 2024, the Albanese Government and the Coalition teamed up to pass brutal new laws that give the government the power to deport any person without a visa to third countries, regardless of their backgrounds or family ties to Australia.

The Albanese Government is testing out these new laws on three people, who were told they could be exiled to Nauru as soon as Monday.

We filed proceedings in the High Court on behalf of one man. Our client, like many others, has not finished the visa review process. Our case argues that he should not be deported before having a fair chance to do so. Hours after our client filed his legal challenge, the Albanese Government promised the Court that he would not be removed from Australia while the case continues.

Our client has been given a temporary reprieve, but the threat of deportation for him and thousands of other people remains. People previously sent to Nauru by the Australian Government have suffered violent attacks, sexual assault, medical neglect and widespread discrimination. The Albanese Government has a responsibility to treat every person with dignity and respect. Instead, it is playing politics with people’s lives by paying third countries like Nauru in order to banish people indefinitely.

Deportation to third countries is simply one aspect of the brutal new laws rushed through Parliament last year. These new powers cannot be allowed to create a new, punitive baseline for migrants and refugees. We all need to stand up against these anti-migrant attacks and demand better from our politicians because everyone deserves fair treatment – regardless of visa status.