MEDIA RELEASE: “The government should feel ashamed” as Anti-Fairness Bill passes

SYDNEY, Thursday 4 September 2025 — The passing of the Albanese government’s bill to strip legal protections from people it plans to deport to Nauru is an affront to human rights and justice, the Asylum Seekers Centre says.

The new laws give the government the power to:

• Deport people without giving them proper warning or the chance to challenge a decision – even when the government has made a serious mistake
• Order people to cooperate with their own deportation and not hear their reasons why it’s not fair or safe
• Validate visa decisions that were made under incorrect law
• Prosecute criminal charges that were brought as a result of incorrect decisions

It comes as the Albanese government inks a deal with Nauru paving the way for mass deportations, which will cost taxpayers $2.5 million over the next 30 years.

Asylum Seekers Centre CEO Elijah Buol said:
“What’s been passed today is more than bad legislation, it’s a moral failure and a deliberate step away from justice and towards fear-based politics.

“This legislation is a sweeping attack on the rights of tens of thousands of people, simply because of where they were born. It removes basic legal protections from migrants, refugees, and people seeking asylum, allowing deportations without notice, without the chance to respond, and without fairness.

“This legislation risks entrenching the perception that certain groups are permanently conditional in their belonging, subject to different rules, and denied the same access to justice. Such a move erodes trust in institutions not only among affected individuals, but across multicultural communities who see these laws as part of a pattern of exclusion.

“The government should feel ashamed of betraying their promise of a humane and compassionate approach to refugees. But what’s evident from the process to pass this bill is that they already do. Secret deals, no consultation, and rushed legislation all point to the fact they know this is wrong, but have chosen to do it anyway.”

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Media contact: Maddison Bates-Willis on +61 401 244 296 or maddison@asylumseekerscentre.org.au