Too much discretionary, unreviewable power has been allowed to be concentrated in the hands of the immigration minister
Australia has some of the strictest border laws in the world. The immigration minister has some of the broadest, and least reviewable, powers of any of his global equivalents. The shambolic Djokovic affair has confronted Australians with the true extent of those powers, and many are bewildered.
Discretionary powers under the Migration Act enable the minister to cancel a visa – in some circumstances without affording due process – because, a “person’s past and present general conduct” suggests “the person is not of good character”; because “there is a risk that” the person’s presence represents “a danger to the Australian community … in any … way”; or because the person “might be … a risk to the health, safety or good order of the Australian community.”