On Background: Immigration crackdown

The final week of parliament for the year has involved an avalanche of legislation. Most of it has been well ventilated and debated over recent months – think social media age limits or changes to the Reserve Bank board structure. But there was a batch of bills involving tough immigration reforms that didn’t receive as much attention. These changes involve new deportation powers and travel bans – and they’re due to whip through with bipartisan support – despite howls of protest from human rights groups. By the time you’re listening, they’re likely to have passed the Senate. David Speers speaks to Dr Abul Rizvi, a former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Immigration, about what these changes will mean in practise.