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Controversial changes to the citizenship process have been voted down in the Senate, ending immigration minister Peter Dutton’s push to impose stricter requirements on migrants.
The reforms would have required would-be citizens to reside in Australia for four years, rather than one, made applicants take strict English-language and “values” tests, and given Dutton personal veto powers over any application deemed not in the national interest. Greens immigration spokesperson Nick McKim called the vote “a huge win for multicultural Australia”, while Nick Xenophon Team Senator Stirling Griff said concessions offered by Dutton to water down the English-language requirements were “not sufficient” to win over the NXT.
Read more here
Alex McKinnon, The Saturday Paper
