Another High Court rebuke on immigration laws – and a warning on rushed policymaking
A new High Court ruling has struck down the Albanese government’s restrictions on former immigration detainees – exposing the risks of rushed, politically driven lawmaking.
Recent articles in Immigration
14 March 2026
Grandstanding government right off-side – Message from the Editor
I have never been cynical about politics. At my 1980s high school, I confused many by having then Prime Minister Bob Hawke plastered across my A4 binder instead of Bruce Springsteen or Boy George. After starting life in journalism, where there were plenty of cynics, I horrified my editor by leaving to work for the Federal ALP. He dubbed the move the worst decision I had ever made. But I was unmoved.
14 March 2026
Immigration and toxic nostalgia
A counterfactual simulation suggests Australia would be smaller, older and economically weaker today if immigration policy had remained restricted to predominantly European sources.
13 March 2026
Treatment of Iranian asylum seekers reeks of contradictions
Australia quickly offered protection to Iranian women footballers who drew global attention. At the same time, new migration laws aim to prevent other Iranian visa holders from even reaching Australia.
12 March 2026
Selective compassion in Australia’s refugee policy
Australia’s decision to grant humanitarian visas to Iranian footballers highlights how refugee policy often rewards cases that fit convenient political narratives.
10 March 2026
Angus Taylor’s immigration rhetoric faces policy reality
Calls to reduce immigration by “raising standards” sound tough, but current visa settings are already far tighter than in 2022 and further cuts would come with economic costs.
21 February 2026
Let’s not turn back the clock on immigration
Australia needs a forward-looking, evidence-based immigration policy from the Liberal Party. They should drop the slogans, fear mongering and backward-looking thinking.
12 February 2026
Is Hanson planning to copy Trump on mass deportation?
One Nation’s promise to deport 75,000 undocumented migrants echoes Donald Trump’s approach, but the logistics, costs and risks of such a policy are far greater than the rhetoric suggests.
29 January 2026
If we’re choosing a national day, there are better options
Australia's national day marks the beginning of its colonisation. There are better, more meaningful dates that reflect Australian nationhood and democratic choice.
18 January 2026
Best of 2025 - Our politicians continue to fail us on immigration policy
As One Nation rises by recycling anti-immigration rhetoric, both major parties are fumbling their response – missing the chance to offer a clear, credible and principled long-term plan.
17 January 2026
Best of 2025 - Assessing the Liberal Party's policy-making capacity
Good policy should be evidence-based. But this is not the case with the Liberals energy policy and seems unlikely with their migration policy.
15 January 2026
Best of 2025 - Australia’s fragile multicultural consensus under threat
Anti-immigration rallies around Australia in late August and mid-October exposed public divides over migration, social cohesion and national identity.
7 January 2026
Best of 2025 - Courts brace for next wave of 'sovereign citizens'
When I wrote about the “Cavalcade of the Cretinous” in February 2022, I thought the anti-vaccination early incarnations of “sovereign citizens” were just a hopeless joke (“Summernats without the sophistication”) that would quietly go away.
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