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It seems pretty clear that Aboriginality — or at least the most tenuous link to it — is now seen as a valid excuse for dangerous foreign nationals to remain in the country.

Just when you thought the Albanese government could not possibly be any worse on border control, the sun comes up again.

Yep, another day, another revelation of rank government incompetence that puts the Australian community at risk from violent foreign-born criminals.

Hang on, let me correct myself.

I used to think the government was incompetent. But I’m increasingly thinking we are being put at risk, not by government incompetence — if only — but worse, by this government’s twisted ideology.

After all, it wasn’t a mistake that allowed a Sudanese-born man, with a string of convictions for violent and drug-related offences, to remain in the country.

The Australian newspaper reported he was allowed to remain in the country – and I hope you’re sitting down for this – because he self-identified as Aboriginal.

Oh, and he played the didgeridoo.

Isn’t that what the left calls cultural appropriation?

Self-Identification

The Sudanese man, who had been in Australia for 15 years, was due to be deported back to Africa after convictions for knife crime, car theft, serious driving offences, stalking and a violent attack on his partner.

But the Administrative Appeals Tribunal overturned the deportation order when they learned that the man’s partner, the partner he was found guilty of attacking, was Aboriginal.

In a written submission to the Tribunal, he said:

“I self-identify as an Aboriginal person and consider Australia to be my country. 

“I have been accepted by the Indigenous people of this country through its customs and tradition in a smoking ceremony.

“I also learnt a lot about Aboriginal culture, was taught how to paint Aboriginal art, and have also played digeridoo in the past.”

Now, rather than laughing their heads off, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal were convinced.

“Hmmm… I know he’s a violent criminal who beat up on his partner. Then again, he can do dot paintings and blow into a hollowed-out piece of wood. Let’s keep him!”

Now that’s a welcome to country!

Or what about this case, from October last year, when a Cambodian-born man with an extensive criminal history, was allowed to stay in Australia after claiming that deportation would separate him from his Aboriginal partner and therefore – and again, I hope you’re sitting down — split up an Aboriginal family.

Honestly, Monty Python could not have imagined this.

The Cambodian man further argued that he had been “adopted by the Noongar community as an Aboriginal man”.

He convinced the tribunal he should not be deported because he had taken part in Noongar dances, and deporting him would rob his stepchildren, none of whom were biological, from learning Aboriginal culture from him.

The kids, he claimed, had reached out to him while he was in jail to ask him questions about Noongar law and culture.

According to the last census, there are 14,355 Noongar people. I’m not sure how many of them are Cambodian.

But the Tribunal was convinced.

After all, if we don’t have Cambodian-born criminals passing on their intimate knowledge of Aboriginal Dream Time, well, it’s practically a genocide.

And here’s another example:

A New Zealand man with a long criminal history, including theft, burglary, firearms and drug offences, and a violent assault on his pregnant partner, was allowed to stay here after successfully arguing that because he has two children to the Aboriginal woman he beat up, he is Aboriginal.

He said an Indigenous elder had certified him as a member of the Yorta Yorta community.

To which the Tribunal replied in the man’s native language, and I’m paraphrasing:

“Sweet as, bro!”

Now, because you’re a sensible person, you’re probably starting to sense a pattern here.

It seems pretty clear that Aboriginality, or at least the most tenuous link to it – I play the digeridoo and paint a bit – is now seen as a valid excuse for dangerous foreign nationals to remain in the country.

And that’s exactly what’s happening.

Under Orders

Tribunal member and former Labor Government Speaker of the House Anna Burke said the tribunal was simply following a directive from Immigration Minister Andrew Giles.

See, that’s why I say, it’s not by accident that dangerous criminals are being allowed to remain in Australia. It’s deliberate. It’s not incompetence. It’s ideological. Which might explain why Andrew Giles still has his job.

Because, according to this government’s weird identity politics, Andrew Giles is doing his job.

Giles, in a directive introduced in January last year known as Direction 99, told the tribunal to give special leniency to foreign-born criminals with links to Australia.

A foreign national’s ties to Australia were to be a primary consideration when assessing whether their visas should be cancelled. By implication, the safety and expectations of the Australian community were to be secondary considerations.

And so Ms Burke said that, while most people would consider such violent criminals had no right to stay in Australia, the Immigration Minister’s direction clearly articulated that tolerance should be given to non-citizens who had ties here.

She said:

“The strength, nature and duration of ties to the Australian community, and the best interests of minor children in Australia ­affected by the decision both weigh strongly in favour of granting the visa.”

So a foreign-born criminal — in danger of being deported for beating up on his Aboriginal partner — is saved by the fact that the partner he beat up on, was Aboriginal.

All of this represents a disgusting betrayal.

It’s a betrayal of Aboriginal women. It’s a betrayal of Aboriginal culture. And it’s a betrayal of the government’s most basic responsibility — to keep the Australian community safe.

And the worst part, it’s not incompetence. It’s a deliberate directive.

But let me finish with this question.

What’s more offensive? That Sudanese and Cambodian criminals are identifying as Aboriginal? Or that Andrew Giles is identifying as an immigration minister?

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Republished with thanks to The James Macpherson Report.

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