‘Mistake’ in bikie boss deportation

Senator Lidia Thorpe says the government has made a mistake in the pending deportation of former bikie boss Dean Martin, claiming he can’t be deported because he’s Indigenous.

Mr Martin, former national president of the Rebels bikie gang and uncle of AFL Richmond legend Dustin Martin, was arrested on Monday and is set to be deported to New Zealand.

He’s currently in custody with the Australian Border Force.

Senator Thorpe said while she hasn’t spoken to Mr Martin she believed “the government had made a mistake with this decision”.

“Mr Martin has proof, support and recognition that he is Aboriginal from Elders and community in Lutruwita Tasmania,” she said.

“We’ve already seen the High Court rule in 2020 that the Commonwealth lacks constitutional power to deport First Peoples under the migration Act.

“The 2020 ruling reflected the Mabo decision, which recognised that First Peoples connection to this country has never been severed.

“This connection is recognised by the common law, so categorising First Peoples as ‘alien’ is inconsistent with this.

“My question is, why does the government now think they can go against the law and deport First Peoples?”

The Department of Home Affairs said they couldn’t comment on individual cases.

Mr Martin’s visa has reportedly been cancelled on character grounds, and comes after his brother, Shane – also a former senior member of the Rebels – was deported to New Zealand in 2018.

Shane died three years later in Auckland.

Mr Martin and Senator Thorpe had “briefly dated’, which led to the Senator Thorpe standing down from a leadership position in the Greens party as a result of the undisclosed relationship.

Senator Thorpe, who later quit the Greens, at the time issued a statement, accepting she had “made mistakes”.

“I will now reflect on this and focus on my important portfolio work, especially advocating for First Nations people,” she said.