As part of a radical overhaul of Australia's immigration system, rioters as young as 16 could also be deported!
According to the Daily Telegraph, a committee of the Federal Congress recommended that criminals' visas be automatically cancelled if violent crimes such as beatings and serious burglary were committed. The unprecedented move also applies to young criminals between the ages of 16 and 18. Once they reach the age of 18, they will be deported.
Currently, visas are automatically cancelled only if the offender is sentenced to at least 12 months in prison or sexually assaulted children.
Cabinet ministers are understood to have expressed support for the move, but Labour and the Green Party slammed the move, saying the committee had been "hijacked" by the government and that its recommendations were unfounded. According to the evidence submitted to the Commission, although Australian criminals have committed the most crimes, some immigrant groups are overrepresented in crime statistics compared to the size of the community.
Jason Wood, chairman of the committee, said it was time to send a clear message that visa holders who committed serious crimes of violence would lose their Australian status. The report found that while refugee and immigration problems were difficult to address in the first few years, they would bring economic and social benefits to Australia.
Of the 18 recommendations, Labour supported 14, including plans to inject more money into 40 community centres, provide skills training for immigrants, and enrol them in English courses, community activities and social clubs.
Labour and the government agreed that sports and the arts were "an integral part" of the process, and slammed the Australian tennis association (Soccer Australia), for not offering preferential services to immigrant families.
In addition, the report recommends that the new immigrant youth counselling scheme be linked to the government system to allow statistics on the number of visa holders who commit crimes.
