Peter Dutton vows to fight for citizenship shake-up

Immigration Minister Peter ­Dutton’s overhaul of Australian citizenship laws failed to pass parliament yesterday.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton in question time. Picture: Kym Smith

Immigration Minister Peter ­Dutton’s overhaul of Australian citizenship laws has suffered a major setback after his changes failed to pass parliament before a Senate-imposed deadline — an outcome hailed yesterday as a “major victory” by Labor and the Greens.

The proposed shake-up would have increased the permanent residency requirement for citizenship from one to four years and imposed a tougher English-language requirement on ­aspiring Australians.

Mr Dutton yesterday flagged that negotiations would continue with crossbench senators, although no timeline has been set on the passage of any revamped package. “It’s a shame that Bill Shorten is so weak that he has to capitulate to the hard left of the Labor Party against the national interest,” Mr Dutton said.

Labor’s citizenship spokesman Tony Burke said the failure of the bill was a “great victory for every person who wants to pledge allegiance to this country and make a commitment to Australia”.

“I would urge those in celebrating this moment and who have been involved in this campaign all around Australia, though, to know this government will try again,” he said. “If under current law you are able to apply now (for citizenship) I would recommend you do so.”

Greens senator Nick McKim said the outcome was a “huge win”.

“Peter Dutton tried to tear down multicultural Australia and remake it in his own hateful image,” he said. “He now has an obligation to ensure that citizenship applications are assessed under existing rules.”

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection confirmed in its submission to a Senate inquiry that New Zealand, Britain, the US, France and Germany had permanent residency requirements ranging between five and eight years.