The NSW Council for Civil Liberties (NSWCCL) condemns the Albanese Government’s decision to activate the new ‘arrival control’ powers under the recently passed Migration Amendment Act 2026. This move, which effectively bars over 7,000 Iranian visa holders from entering Australia for the next six months, is a betrayal of human rights that sets a perilous precedent for the exercise of executive power in Australia.
This ban follows only weeks after the government granted humanitarian visas to seven members of the Iranian women’s football team. To embrace high-profile asylum cases while slamming the door on 7,000 others fleeing the same conflict is not humanitarianism - it’s border politics.
The new laws grant the Minister unprecedented discretion to block entire classes of people based on their nationality. Such expansive executive power escapes parliamentary oversight and undermines the core principles of merit based migration.
The government claims the ban is necessary because Iranians are "unlikely" to leave due to the worsening conflict. Yet, Australia is simultaneously committing military personnel and assets to the very regional war that is making the situation worse for civilians.
By preventing travel, the government is deliberately blocking the only practical pathway for many Iranians to reach Australian soil and make an onshore claim for protection - a fundamental human right. The Albanese Government is happy to use the plight of Iranians to justify military involvement, but when those same people seek the safety of their already approved visas, they are treated as a threat to 'migration integrity.' This is a dangerous step toward a system where fundamental rights are subject to the whim of a Minister.
The NSWCCL calls for the immediate revocation of the arrival control determination and for a transparent, rights-based migration process.
Comments attributable to Timothy Roberts, NSWCCL President
“The hypocrisy of the Albanese government is shameful. This international disgrace of only offering sanctuary to high profile athletes and not the many others seeking the same protection is compounded by the indiscriminate way that it has been done by the Minister.
“The blanket blocking of all Iranians seeking the protection of a humanitarian visa indicates to the Australian people that this government does not act with human dignity and respect in all its actions.
“The interests of all Australians are undermined when we allow our government to expand executive power without check or balance and cast aside proper process. This is a continuation of a worrying and dangerous trend.
“The actions of our Minister undermines peace in Australia. The Iranian diaspora is a cherished member of the Australian community and we deserve better than to have to witness the misuse of executive power that, even if unintentional, suggests that somehow our human dignity is not shared equally by us all”.
