Aussie jihadists to lose citizenship, warns Peter Dutton

The government is, in a number of ‘individual cases’, considering stripping dual nationals of their citizenship.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says ‘we’re looking at some individual cases at the moment’. Picture: Kym Smith

The Turnbull government is, in a number of “individual cases”, considering stripping dual nationals of their Australian citizenship as it considers what measures to take following terrorist attacks in France and the US.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said his department would begin working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, police and intelligence and security agencies to look at “potential candidates”.

The amended Australian Citizenship Act 2007, which was passed last week, will strip Australian citizenship from dual nationals involved in terrorism overseas or convicted of a terrorism offence on home soil.

Dual nationals will also be stopped from returning to Australia or be deported from the country if they have engaged in terrorist activity.

Mr Dutton conceded a similar law had “limited applicability” in Britain, where it has been used for some years, and expected that to be the case in Australia.

“We’re looking at some individual cases at the moment, but we’re not talking about vast numbers,” he said on Sky News’s Australian Agenda program. “The government is contemplating what the next steps might be because the threat is not diminishing and we need to make sure, firstly, that people understand the threat that we face.

“Ultimately, we need to make sure that the police and the intelligence operatives have as much in their kit bag as they can. We need to have every option available to them.”

While Mr Dutton said the government would need to balance any new measures with the “rule of law” and democracy, he alluded to a focus on sole Australian nationals. “We are seeing, as ASIO’s pointed out, a real threat from people who may have been here for a long period of time, that are Australian citizens, have denounced their birthright citizenship or have ... been born in Australia to migrant parents,” he said. “There are a number of ways in which we need to look at what options might be next, but we don’t take that decision lightly.”

Attorney-General George Brandis yesterday declared violent extremism had become the “21st century’s fascism” as he prepared to travel to Jordan for meetings with national security ministers.