Proposed anti-terrorism laws could strip terrorists of Australian citizenship, bar from entering country

Terrorists could be stripped of their Australian citizenship — and extremists blocked when returning from conflict zones — under tough new measures.

Terrorists could be stripped of Australian citizenship under new hardline measures being proposed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

And Australians that travel overseas to fight for terrorist groups could be blocked from returning home under a plan to introduce temporary exclusion orders, similar to a scheme used in Britain.

“Being an Australian citizen is a privilege. It is a privilege that carries with it expectations on those who hold it,” Prime Minister Morrison said today when announcing the new measures, which he plans to introduce to Parliament before the end of the year.

“People who commit acts of terrorism have rejected absolutely everything that this country stands for. They have rejected the beliefs of this country, the values of this country, they have disrespected every other citizen who shares that privilege of citizenship with them.”

Scott Morrison’s plan toughens existing legislation. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Under the plan, dual citizens - or even Australian citizens who are entitled to acquire dual citizenship based on where their parents or grandparents were born - could be stripped of their Australian citizenship if they are convicted of a terror offence.

It goes further than current laws which require an individual to be a dual citizen and to have been convicted of an offence with a sentence of six or more years in prison.

The new law would remove the requirement for the sentence to be a certain length.

“The stripping of Australian citizenship from dual nationals engaged in terrorist conduct is a key part of our response to international violent extremism and terrorism,” Mr Morrison said.

Hassan Khalif Shire Ali’s attack on Melbourne’s Bourke St was inspired by Islamic State. Picture: Supplied

The Home Affairs Minister would also be able to strip the convicted terrorist of Australian citizenship if he was “reasonably satisfied that a person would otherwise have another citizenship”.

The “temporary exclusion orders” Mr Morrison announced today would block extremists returning to Australia after fighting for groups like ISIS for up to two years.

“It would be a criminal offence for them to return to Australia, unless a permanent permit of this nature is provided,” Mr Morrison said.

“Once the person is back in Australia [the exclusion order] would impose controls on them to mitigate the risk to the community, such as reporting to police, curfews, restrictions on technology used.

“Failure to comply with the terms of that temporary exclusion order would be also an offence and subject to penalties for that citizen.”

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said nine people had been stripped of Australian citizenship under current laws. Picture: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

Mr Morrison said the new measures were designed to ensure the government had the necessary powers to keep Australians safe and to “protect the integrity of Australian citizenship”.

“Terrorists have violated everything about being what an Australian is all about, it’s a crime against our country, not just other citizens,” he said.

“This is something that can’t be tolerated - and for those who would engage in this sort of activity, and they have citizenship elsewhere and we have reason to believe they do, they can go.”

It comes after police arrested three men in Melbourne earlier this week for allegedly planning a terror attack that would have mass casualties on home soil.

It also follows the fatal terror incident in Melbourne on Bourke Street where beloved cafe owner Sisto Malaspina was killed by Islamic State-inspired terrorist Hassan Khalif Shire Ali on November 9.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said nine people had been stripped of Australian citizenship under current laws.

But he said citizens who might be third or second generation Australians who had become radicalised were also an issue. He said those individuals who had “betrayed” their country had surrendered their citizenship through their actions.

“We assess there are around 50 Australian dual citizens who may be eligible to lose citizenship under the current provisions, and even more with the changes we are announcing today,” Mr Dutton said.

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Originally published as Proposed anti-terrorism laws could strip terrorists of Australian citizenship, bar from entering country