Australia takes new steps against senior Zimbabwe regime figures

I have decided to strengthen further Australia’s bilateral ‘smart sanctions’ against the regime of President Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe.

I have taken this decision because President Mugabe has paid no heed either to international opinion or his own people, and continues to display a complete disregard for democracy and human rights and pursue economic policies that are destroying his country – more than 10,000 per cent inflation, 80 per cent unemployment – and to suppress those who attempt to speak out against the regime

Australia will now screen all student visa applications from Zimbabweans to identify whether any applicants are children of Zimbabwean officials or regime supporters subject to Australian travel and financial sanctions. Applications so identified will be referred to me for consideration as to whether their presence in Australia would be in Australia’s foreign policy interests.

I have also decided to initiate steps to revoke the student visas held by eight children of senior members of the Mugabe regime. Once their visas have been revoked, the Government will take the appropriate measures to have these individuals removed from the country. I have also initiated steps to reject the student visa applications of a further two adult children who are children of a senior Mugabe regime figure. For privacy reasons, the names of the individuals subject to the measures I have outlined will not be released.

These measures will not affect the overwhelming majority of Zimbabwean students in Australia, whom we are pleased have chosen to study here and who help to maintain the strong people-to-people links between our countries.

Rather, they are an extension of the measures the Government has already imposed against those individuals we have identified as being responsible for the dire political and economic situation besetting Zimbabwe or for egregious human rights abuses in that country. Our existing measures prevent these individuals visiting Australia or transferring funds to and from Australia. These new measures will now also prevent these individuals from giving their families the kind of education their policies have denied the ordinary people of Zimbabwe.

Media Inquiries: Mr Downer's office 02 6277 7500 - Departmental Media Liaison 02 6261 1555