Government says it will also be targeting lawyers and accountants who facilitate gang crimes

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

The visas of dozens of outlaw motorcycle gang members have been cancelled in a crackdown by the Australian immigration department.

The immigration minister, Peter Dutton, said on Friday 81 visas held by members of bikie gangs had been cancelled since the middle of 2014. All 81 are either offshore, in prison on remand, or in detention awaiting deportation.

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Deported gang members had come from a number of countries but were mostly from New Zealand, he said. Dutton confirmed that Shane Martin, the father of AFL star Dustin Martin, was one of those facing deportation.

“I want to send this very clear message to people who are involved in outlaw motorcycle gangs: you are causing misery and pain to thousands of Australians who are falling victim to purchase of amphetamines or drugs,” Dutton told media in Melbourne.

The justice minister, Michael Keenan, also said the government would be targeting people like lawyers and accountants who facilitated gang crimes.

The deportations are part of the government’s long-running campaign against outlaw bikies, and a hardline approach to visa holders in Australia who commit crimes or fail the “character test” which led to hundreds of people being kicked out of the country.

In June last year Dutton revealed the Coalition government had deported nearly 500 people from Australia who had been identified by the department, the Australian Crime Commission, and federal and state police as seeking to “do harm to Australians”.

Section 501 of the Migration Act allows for the cancellation of the visa of a person if the minister is not satisfied that person “passes the character test”.

Changes to legislation last year also halved the threshold for a visa cancellation owing to criminal conviction down to a 12-month prison sentence.

A large cohort of detainees on Christmas Island, referred to as “501s”, were transferred under this ruling. Many had committed serious crimes while others were detained for deportation based on driving offences or historical convictions, Guardian Australia reported in November. Many had lived in Australia since infancy, or had Australian partners and children.

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The deportation of New Zealand citizens had caused a rift between the two countries. In November Guardian Australia reported that a former soldier who had acted as a bodyguard for the New Zealand prime minister, John Key, in Afghanistan was among those facing deportation solely for membership of the Rebels motorcycle club.

The New Zealand minister of internal affairs, Peter Dunne, described the move as “appalling treatment”. The country’s Labour party corrections spokesman, Kelvin Davis, described it as an example of the “politics of fear” and “pretty damn shit to be honest”.

In February the prime ministers of the two countries announced a deal making the pathway to Australian citizenship easier for New Zealand residents.

The Australian and New Zealand immigration ministers have been contacted for comment.