A principle applied inconsistently is one thing. A principle that appears to bend under pressure is something far more troubling.

The Albanese government, through Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, has justified visa refusals with the assertion that Australia “will not import hate.” It is a statement most Australians would instinctively support. But recent decisions risk creating a different perception, that policy is not only being applied unevenly, but is increasingly reactive to the loudest and most aggressive voices in the room.

That is a dangerous path.

Consider the case of DJ Haram, who, during a performance in Australia at Sydney’s Biennale festival, delivered a five-minute diatribe accusing the country of complicity in genocide, lashing out at what she described as a “Zionist entity,” and glorifying “martyrs.” For many, this crossed well beyond political commentary into rhetoric that was inflammatory, divisive, and, in parts, echoed language widely understood as antisemitic. Reports from the performance also point to chants invoking “intifada” and absolutist slogans about the region, phrases that, regardless of intent, are widely interpreted by many as endorsing confrontation rather than coexistence.

When you glorify “martyrs,” you are not engaging in abstract debate. You are, in effect, endorsing a narrative that many interpret as a call to globalise the intifada. That is not simply provocative language; it is rhetoric that risks fuelling division and, potentially, violence.

And yet, there have been no meaningful consequences.

Tony Burke now has expanded ministerial powers over visa decisions and cancellations. If those powers are robust enough to deny entry to individuals........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)