Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

The Greens have moved a series of amendments that have previously been moved to this bill. The Australian community, as I've said throughout this debate, has a reasonable expectation that noncitizens who seek to enter or remain in Australia are of good character and are law-abiding. Similarly, they expect any noncitizens who are not of good character to be refused a visa or have any visa they hold cancelled. This bill does not change the framework within which the character test operates. It allows for the continued effective administration of the powers in the Migration Act by ensuring aggregate sentences are considered sentences, thereby restoring the ability to rely on substantial criminal record as an objective measure for the purpose of the character test. This government is taking urgent commonsense action in order to keep our community safe. We're not here to debate the broader character framework; we're here to clarify the powers in the Migration Act. For those reasons the government will be opposing the amendment moved by the Greens.