Saturday 28 May 2011

Have passport will travel? Habib should note what the Australian Government did to another citizen it found uncomfortable


NOW

Habib cleared, gets passport back {The Sydney Morning Herald 27th May 2011}

“Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib has been cleared of being a national security threat and has had his Australian passport returned.

The Sun-Herald can reveal the Australian government has agreed he is not a terrorism suspect and delivered his passport by courier to his western Sydney home.

After years of fighting to clear his name, the father of four said he "cried" when he received the document yesterday.”

THEN

Holt Acts To Block Passports {The Sydney Morning Herald 15th November 1950}

The Minister for Immigration, Mr. H. E. Holt, has cancelled provisions in the passports belonging to Mrs. Jessie Street and Dr. Thomas Kaiser which would have allowed them to travel to Poland to attend the "World Peace Congress."....

"However, the Minister has discretionary power to cancel the passport, and further disciplinary action can be taken by the Government by withholding travel facilities if not already arranged,"

Secret cablegram, Immigration to High Commission, 16 November 1950
Threatening Australian citizens travelling overseas with passport cancellation
From National Archives of Australia

Anyone old enough to remember "Red Jessie" will know that an Australian passport is only as good as the government holding office allows it to be.

No comments: