20th Oct 2021, 11:22 AM – Senate Migration Amendment (Strengthening the Character Test) Bill 2019 - Second Reading - Agree with the bill's main idea

The same number of senators voted for and against a motion to agree with main idea of the bill, which means the motion failed. In parliamentary jargon, they declined to read the bill for a second time. This means that the bill will no longer be considered and will not become law.

What is the bill's main idea?

According to the bills digest:

The purpose of the Migration Amendment (Strengthening the Character Test) Bill 2019 (the Bill) is to amend the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) (the Act) to specify that a person does not pass the character test—and may have their visa cancelled or visa application refused—if they have been convicted of a ‘designated offence’.

A 'designated offence' is defined in proposed subsection 501(7AA) as "an offence against a law in force in Australia or a foreign country, which:

• involves one or more of a list of specified ‘physical elements’ and
• is punishable by a maximum or fixed term of imprisonment of not less than two years."

*** Caution ***

The voting data for this division is currently incorrect. It appears to have been flipped. The Coalition should be marked as voting "Yes" (it's their bill) with the Opposition etc. voting "No". See the Hansard for the correct voting data.