One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson has sharply criticised the handling of an Egyptian man’s visa cancellation, calling on the federal government to overhaul Australia’s immigration system after the man, who stabbed his sister’s partner in 2014, had his deportation blocked by the courts.
Senator Hanson posted on social media that the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Labor government had “taken too long” to act, allowing the violent offender to remain in Australia.
She used the case to push for a series of reforms, saying Australia should withdraw from the UN Refugee Convention, abolish the tribunal’s role in immigration matters, fund faster deportations, and reduce overall immigration levels.
Specifically, Senator Hanson argued that Australia’s obligations under the UN Refugee Convention are being “weaponised” to force the country to accept people who should be refused entry.
She said the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) has become a “woke handbrake,” preventing authorities from deporting serious offenders.
To address delays, Senator Hanson called for dedicated funding for deportations and visa cancellations, insisting the current system allows dangerous individuals to remain in the community because the government “doesn’t take deporting unwanted people seriously.”
She also advocated cutting immigration numbers, pointing to the large backlog of cases as evidence that the system is overstretched.
The case at the centre of Hanson’s post involves a 51-year-old man, anonymised as XPLW, who arrived in Australia in 2007 on a student visa and later married an Australian citizen, receiving a partner visa in 2012.
In 2014, he was jailed for seven years after stabbing his sister’s partner multiple times, leaving the victim with lasting physical and psychological injuries.
It is reported that the AAT initially revoked the cancellation of his visa in 2022, citing his low risk of reoffending, potential danger as a Coptic Christian if returned to Egypt, and his role in supporting his five-year-old niece and elderly parents.
It is further reported that Immigration Minister Tony Burke subsequently cancelled the visa in January 2025, but XPLW challenged the decision.
On Friday, Federal Court quashed Minister Burke’s order, finding the minister had acted beyond his powers after waiting 18 months without reviewing the case. Judge noted that the delay was not justified by complexity and that adequate resources should have allowed the matter to be addressed promptly.
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