Ministerial Direction -Strengthened character test to safeguard the Australian community

Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs of Australia, Alex Hawke, has issued a new Ministerial Direction to guide decision-makers applying the character test to certain visa cancellation and refusal decisions , as well as the revocation of mandatory visa cancellations.
This direction reinforces the Government’s intolerance for family violence by requiring decision-makers to consider family violence as a primary consideration when making visa determinations.
It also requires decision-makers to seriously consider other forms of unacceptable behavior towards vulnerable people, such as the elderly, who are often the target of serious non-violent crimes including fraud, extortion, exploitation, and neglect.