Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Australians who hold dual nationalities and are suspected of terrorism acts or "killing, raping and pillaging people in Syria" should lose their citizenship, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says.
The government is expected to unveil legislation this week giving authorities the power to revoke the citizenship of dual nationals and other Australians who join terrorist groups or advocate for violent extremism.
Speaking in Canberra on Monday morning, Mr Dutton said the proposed laws would be used "sparingly".
"It is very important to recognise that the people who seek to do us harm here or overseas need to be held accountable to that," he said.
"Taking someone's citizenship away whilst not rendering them stateless is not a penalty, it is a removal of a great privilege and it is a privilege to be an Australian citizen particularly if you have come from another country to our country to start a new life and if you are seeking to do harm and if you are seeking to kill Australians then people rightly ask if you deserve to be Australian citizen."
Mr Dutton said the government "should act in this regard".
"If Australia makes changes in that direction we would also use it sparingly too but the reality is that we have a significant threat and I believe very strong that we have to put in place the tools for our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to stare down this threat," he said.
When asked whether he believed the government had Labor's support, Mr Dutton said that was a decision for Labor.
"I believe the vast majority of the Australian public support the government's actions to tighten up citizenship," he said.
"When people make an oath or an allegiance to our country it is a very serious undertaking and at the moment there is no consequences for a breach of that contract, and if you like going around as an Australian citizen killing, raping and pillaging people in Syria [and] if your intent is to cause harm back here in Australia, to detonate a bomb of cut off someone's head, if that is your intent you don't deserve to be an Australian citizen."
The proposed changes are part of a suite of counter-terrorism measures on the government agenda, including introducing de-radicalisation programs in high schools.
