Tonight’s hearing on the Government’s Anti-Fairness and Deportation Bill has sparked widespread concern over transparency and fairness, as only Home Affairs officials are allowed to provide evidence. Human rights organisations, legal experts, and frontline community groups—those directly supporting people affected by Labor’s secret $400 million Nauru deal—have been excluded. The Senate-established hearing, scheduled for just two hours, is considering legislation that significantly reduces legal protections and facilitates mass deportations.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre has called for greater transparency and a proper inquiry process, noting that previous agreements with Nauru have been tainted by corruption. In August, it was revealed that the leader of the Finks bikie gang was promised $40 million in taxpayer funds for security and policing under past arrangements, highlighting the risks associated with opaque deals.
The Bill removes the right to fairness in deportation decisions, validates past flawed decisions, and legislates mass, without-notice deportations, affecting potentially more than 80,000 people. The legislation is linked to a secret deal with Nauru, under which Australia would pay $400 million upfront and $70 million annually to accept deportees.
Jana Favero, Deputy CEO of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, condemned the hearing as an insult to the democratic process. She stressed that excluding expert input undermines public debate and allows legislation that could devastate lives and separate families to proceed unchecked.
Critics argue that the Albanese Government’s approach represents a deliberate lack of accountability, as hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds are funneled into a secretive Nauru deal. With the Department of Home Affairs—previously implicated in mismanaged contracts—as the sole witness, the rushed process has been described as a “sham hearing” and a dangerous precedent for corruption and misuse of public funds.
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