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Kanye West has Australian visa revoked after Heil Hitler song release

Kanye West has Australian visa revoked after Heil Hitler song release

The Age5 hours ago
Kanye West's Australian visa has been cancelled by the federal government because the American rapper was promoting Nazism through the release of a song called Heil Hitler, Immigration Minister Tony Burke says.
Speaking on ABC's Afternoon Briefing this week, Burke said that the rapper who now goes by Ye 'no longer has a valid visa' because 'he's made a lot of offensive comments', specifically referencing a recent release titled Heil Hitler. Burke said West has been travelling to Australia 'for a long time', and that following his 2022 marriage to Australian designer Bianca Censori, he now has family in the country.
'It wasn't a visa even for the purpose of the concerts; it was a lower level. And the officials still looked at the law and said, 'if you're going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism, we don't need that in Australia,'' Burke said.
'I think that what's not sustainable is to import hatred. Like, you know, some people say, 'Oh, don't you believe in freedom of speech?' And for Australian citizens, yeah, you've got full freedom of speech. But we have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry.'
What power does the government have to cancel visas?
The Minister for Immigration has various powers to refuse or cancel the visa of any visitor to Australia, and their family, including if the person fails a 'character test' and the refusal is deemed in the national interest.
The test states that if the minister believes an individual is at risk of vilifying or inciting discord among a segment of the community they may cancel or refuse a visa. Having a criminal record, association with criminal groups, suspicions of human trafficking and crimes against humanity are also considered in the character test.
Who else has had their visa cancelled?
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Senator Penny Wong spruiks WA's geographic position as a key benefit in AUKUS pact during Quad trip
Senator Penny Wong spruiks WA's geographic position as a key benefit in AUKUS pact during Quad trip

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Senator Penny Wong spruiks WA's geographic position as a key benefit in AUKUS pact during Quad trip

Penny Wong has spruiked WA's geographic position as a key benefit in the AUKUS pact, which she described as a 'win, win, win' during discussions with US counterparts in Washington. The Foreign Affairs Minister said the Quad meeting — a diplomatic dialogue between Australia, the US, Japan and India — had focused on the strategic importance of the deal, which WA would play a central role in. 'The focus yesterday was much more on what we can do together and also on AUKUS — that's a win, win or a win, win, win,' she told Sky on Thursday. Senator Wong said 'geography and capability' of Australia's defence posture benefited America in the pact. 'That's one of the benefits of AUKUS — the geographic location of Fleet Base West and the additional capability that that will provide,' she said. 'That is more maintenance for American submarines, that translates to more days in the water for US submarines.' A new defence precinct at Henderson, south of Perth, will be the maintenance home of the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine fleet. The precinct will be home to a production line churning out army landing craft — first medium then heavy — and general-purpose frigates at new shipbuilding facilities. It is in the vicinity of The Royal Australian Navy's largest naval base, HMAS Stirling at Garden Island — housing much of Australia's fleet submarines and frigates as a key defence hub. 'One of the great things about the AUKUS arrangements is it increases the capability of all three countries,' Senator Wong said. 'Certainly, in the near and medium term it's a benefit to the US because it increases both the build rates but also maintenance rates. That equals submarine capability in the water.' In 2023, Australia's defence strategic review stated that WA's north was the first line of defence alongside the Northern Territory. The high-level talks on Indo-Pacific security in Washington comes amid growing pressure from the Trump administration for Australia to hike its defence spending. Senator Wong said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hadn't raised defence spending during the Quad meeting or sideline bilateral discussions. She also said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was 'very flexible' about arrangements to meet with US President Donald Trump and that Secretary Rubio made clear 'they're keen for a meeting'. 'We're obviously very flexible about those arrangements,' Senator Wong said. 'The president is a very, very busy man, but I was pleased that Secretary Rubio made clear that obviously they're keen for a meeting, they want to reschedule it, it was disappointing, as he said, that they had to reschedule because the President had to return as a consequence of what was occurring in the Middle East.'

‘Nail in the coffin': Pacific rugby leaders raise alarm about NRL's PNG deal
‘Nail in the coffin': Pacific rugby leaders raise alarm about NRL's PNG deal

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‘Nail in the coffin': Pacific rugby leaders raise alarm about NRL's PNG deal

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‘Nail in the coffin': Pacific rugby leaders raise alarm about NRL's PNG deal
‘Nail in the coffin': Pacific rugby leaders raise alarm about NRL's PNG deal

The Age

timean hour ago

  • The Age

‘Nail in the coffin': Pacific rugby leaders raise alarm about NRL's PNG deal

The Drua say their games are watched by half Fiji's population of 900,000, but the money flowing toward rugby union from Australia pales in comparison to what has been pledged for the government-financed Pacific rugby league soft diplomacy strategy. The Fiji Rugby Union last month signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Rugby Football Association and Tonga Rugby Union also has a partnership in the works with China, which funded the Polynesian kingdom's new $40 million national sports complex. In Samoa, meanwhile, China has offered to build a new national stadium. Tonga Rugby Union chief Aisea Aholelei said he would like to have seen more consultation from Australia on the impact of the government underwriting rugby league expansion. 'You just tell them that there is money involved and it's not hard for the players here or parents here to go to rugby league,' he said. 'It's a small place, and Australia government funded money, it would be good that it has a lot of mileage through organisations, sports bodies and the population, not just for the benefit of rugby league. 'It would be nice to have it on equal par with the funding to rugby league. What I would like [the Australian government] to consider is rugby union has been the national game for a long time in Tonga, Fiji and Samoa ... to have a consideration how much impact it has had in the past and what impact it will have in the future, especially the near future of the 2027 World Cup [in Australia].' In Samoa, rugby union is 'still the sport that determines the mood of the nation', according to Seumanu Douglas Ngau Chun, who heads the 15-a-side game there. But he said it would not be able to compete with the deep pockets the Australian government has given rugby league in the Pacific. 'Samoa only has a population of 200,000 people, with a limited private sector. Seeing that kind of investment going to league it concerns us. That means it might be a nail in the coffin for rugby here in the Pacific, especially for Samoa. As a struggling nation we are concerned,' the Samoa Rugby Union CEO said. 'We're tired of sending our elite players overseas to end up playing for the All Blacks and for other countries. With this kind of proposal that we're making to Australia, this will benefit our people to remain on island. But we'd also have access to top-quality assistance from Australian rugby.' The three island nations have drawn up a proposal for funding be boosted to a level where they could draw closer to Australia and New Zealand in international rugby union, as well as to enable Tonga and Samoa to push for their own Super Rugby franchises rather than see more players enticed to play for overseas teams. It is understood they will put forward a proposal for $150 million in assistance from the Australian government. Sewabu cited Fiji rugby union's tour of 1952 which drew large crowds and helped lift the Australian game up from financial troubles and fierce competition from rugby league. 'Our two countries have been rugby partners since 1952, when Fiji's visit helped keep rugby union alive in Australia,' he said. 'Today we face a new crossroads and can again work together for the good of Pacific rugby.' He said he hoped Australia could return the favour to 'protect the game we love that has so much historical, cultural and social significance to our people and our country'. An Australian government spokesperson said it already partnered with Rugby Australia and Oceania Rugby including with financial support in what was 'a great example of the power of sports diplomacy in bringing the Pacific family, of which Australia is a part, closer together'. 'Rugby union is something we have in common with our fellow Pacific family members. We share a rich history, whether it be through Tonga's iconic victory over the Wallabies in 1973 or through former World Cup-winning Wallaby Toutai Kefu, whose father Fatai played in the 1973 Tonga team. Again, this weekend, those ties will be strengthened further when the Wallabies and Fiji compete for the inaugural Vuvale Bowl. 'Australia is a proud member of the Pacific family. Australia continues to be the Pacific's largest development partner, and security partner of choice. The Pacific is best served by Pacific-led institutions and processes.' Loaded with NRL players, the Tongan and Samoan national rugby league teams have made great strides in the past decade, with Tonga recording historic wins against Australia and New Zealand and Samoa shocking England to reach the Rugby League World Cup final in 2022. About 50 per cent of NRL players now are from a Pasifika background. Rugby union, however, retains a firm link to the Pacific nations' cultural identities and power bases. Rabuka himself is former international for the Flying Fijians, the country's national rugby union team, and Tongan rugby's president is the country's prime minister, 'Aisake Valu Eke. The chairman of the Samoa Rugby Union is Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi, the long-serving former prime minister bidding to reclaim the top job at an election on August 29. The Australian reported that one of Fiji's three deputy prime ministers, Manoa Kamikamica, told a forum at the Perth Sevens rugby union tournament in January that the NRL's government-funded Pacific handout was 'the biggest threat our sport has ever faced'. Rabuka, speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, was more phlegmatic, pointing to the potential benefits of Fijian players being paid more. 'We are concerned that they might be pulling some of our people away,' he said. 'It may affect rugby union, but I don't think very much. But it could help the economy.' Loading Albanese, a fan of NRL team the South Sydney Rabbitohs, has used rugby league as a tool to safeguard Australia's national security interests in PNG in particular as Beijing seeks to expand its influence. But as cash-strapped Pacific rugby unions confront the prospect of state-sponsored rugby league, it has left a gap for China to step into the breach. 'We need to expand our horizons and see who is willing to help us,' said Tongan rugby chief Aholelei, who toured Chinese cities in June to explore commercial, player pathway and coaching ties. 'That's the reason we embarked on the tour of China. Kindly, the Chinese government helped us to partake. It was very insightful and thee's a lot of help there for us ... we're really optimistic about that impending partnership with China.' Douglas said Samoan rugby was also exploring an MOU with China after being approached by officials from Beijing's embassy in Apia.

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