Call to revoke radicals’ citizenship

THE Coalition government needs to consider revoking the citizenships of dual-nationals fighting in Syria and Iraq.

THE Coalition government needs to consider revoking the citizenships of dual-nationals fighting in Syria and Iraq, and ASIO should be allowed to temporarily suspend passports in order to stop Aus­tralians joining conflicts.

The Independent National ­Security Legislation Monitor, Bret Walker SC, also used his latest ­report to recommend a loosening of evidence laws to allow information from surveillance activities by the Australian Federal Police in countries such as Syria — without a foreign government giving permission for the surveillance — to be used in court.

A consideration of greater powers for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the immigration minister — including the ability to suspend a foreign passport and revoke citizenship — were also recommended. Mr Walker warned that the current rights of dual-citizens could conflict with their “loyalty” to Aus­tralia, and should be reviewed.

“The INSLM is concerned that the concept of dual-citizenship raises issues of divided loyalties and does not see why, as a matter of policy, an Australian citizen should also be able to be a citizen of another country,” Mr Walker said in his report, tabled in parliament yesterday.

He said he agreed with former army chief Peter Leahy, who raised concerns that if Australian troops went to Syria, they might find themselves “directly opposed by an Australian citizen”.

The government should also consider allowing the immigration minister to revoke Australian citizenship if a person “engages in acts prejudicial to Australia’s security”, so long as they are a citizen of another country. Similar powers have been used in Britain.

A recommended ability to suspend a foreign passport should be used if a connection between travel plans and terrorism can “sufficiently” be established, he said.

Mr Walker also suggested that ASIO should be given the ability to suspend passports for 48 hours at a time — with possible extensions of up to a week — when it was considering an “adverse security ­assessment”.

Currently, a passport can be cancelled only if such a security ­assessment has already been ­carried out.

“It would be a terrible compromise to accept low-quality assessments under the pressure of the urgency to prevent imminent travel by a suspected person,” Mr Walker said in the report.