Citizenship law would not make Australia safer, civil liberties groups warn

Civil liberties groups today warned that moves by the federal government to strip citizenship would not make Australians safer.

“To expel a person who has engaged in terrorism related offences and prevent them from re-entering Australia only places Australians and Australian interests in other places at greater risk,” they said. “Moreover, it merely heaps the burden created by such persons upon other countries which are often theatres of war and are ill equipped to deal with such persons.”

The groups say Australia has a fundamental responsibility to deal with its  citizens who engage in such conduct. Stripping citizenship and exiling them is merely exporting the problem to other nations and making Australia a poor global citizen.

The groups, from Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland Council, South Australia and the Australian Council for Civil Liberties, made the comments in a submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security which is examining the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Allegiance to Australia) Bill 2015.