The Morrison government has pushed aside Labor's olive branch over laws lowering the threshold for deporting foreigners who commit serious crimes in Australia.
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Instead, Immigration Minister David Coleman has rubbished Labor's suggestions for compromise.
"If people don't want to be affected by the law, there's a very simple solution: don't commit a violent offence in Australia, don't commit a sexual offence in Australia, don't commit a firearms offence in Australia, don't breach an AVO in Australia," he told reporters on Tuesday.
Under the changes, people would automatically fail the character test if convicted of certain offences which carry a prison term of two or more years, even if their sentence is lower.
Labor's Home Affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally said the government hasn't been able to explain why any changes are needed to existing laws.
"The immigration minister can already cancel the visas of non-citizens and deport foreign criminals convicted of serious crimes involving violence, sexual offences, weapons offences, breaches of AVOs and offences against women and children because Labor supported amendments to the Migration Act in 2014," she said.
"In fact, these extremely broad discretionary powers mean foreigners do not even need to spend a day in jail or even be convicted of a crime to have their visa cancelled."
Labor wants the government to remove the law's retrospective nature, keep the current definition of a "serious crime" to cover people sentenced to at least a year in prison, and take into account the impact on New Zealanders.
"If the Morrison government agrees to these three recommendations, Labor will support the passage of this bill,' Senator Keneally wrote to Mr Coleman.
Since 2014, the government has cancelled about 4700 visas.
The laws have become a serious sticking point between Australia and New Zealand, with that nation's prime minister Jacinda Ardern repeatedly describing them as corrosive.
New Zealand says special arrangements for its citizens living in Australia and low dual-citizenship rates means Kiwis are more vulnerable to deportation.
Asked whether it was more important to pass the legislation than have good relations with New Zealand, Mr Coleman said the laws applied equally to all.
"If someone is from Spain or from New Zealand or from Argentina or wherever, and they commit a serious offence, now clearly they should be treated equally," he said.
"Non-citizens are guests in our country, we are a welcoming nation but if you commit a serious crime in Australia, you are not welcome in Australia."
Australian Associated Press
