Revoking the Citizenship of Terrorists Mere ‘Symbolism’: Professor

There was insufficient cause for Parliament to rush through laws that allow the government to strip citizenship from dual nationals convicted of certain offences, says Professor George Williams A Senate Committee is hearing submissions on the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Citizenship Repudiation) Bill, which was urgently passed last year when the High Court ruled that indefinite detention of detainees was illegal under the Constitution. Professor Williams, AO, specialises in constitutional law at the University of New South Wales. He was formerly the Dean of the Law Faculty. “The submission of the [Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation or ASIO] makes clear that this is actually not a measure that is well calibrated to improve the national security and safety of Australia, let alone the world. Particularly given we may actually be exporting a very dangerous person to a country far less able to monitor and mitigate the threat,” he told the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security on Feb. 19....