At last an Immigration Minister with a soul

One of the best things aobut the recent election was that we will now have a much more sensible immigration policy. It appears that Mohamed Haneef will now be allowed to return to Australia. His detention and deportation last year was a great shame to our nation.

From the ABC:

Haneef free to work in Australia




Federal Immigration Minister Chris Evans will not move to cancel Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef's work visa.

The full bench of the Federal Court in Melbourne today dismissed an appeal by the former immigration minister Kevin Andrews against reinstating Dr Haneef's visa.

Mr Andrews revoked Dr Haneef's visa in July, despite a terrorism related charge against the Brisbane doctor being dropped.

Senator Evans says Dr Haneef is free to return to work in Australia under his current 457 Visa, which is valid until 2010.

The court decision was handed down while Dr Haneef's legal team watched via video link in Brisbane.

Dr Haneef's lawyer Peter Russo has spoken to Dr Haneef and he says he is pleased with the ruling.

"He is very happy that the decision has come down the way it has, but he also understands we have to wait for the current Minister to make up his mind on what he's going to do," he said.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says she would be happy to have Dr Haneef return to work in the state if he can satisfy visa and medical registration requirements.

Ms Bligh says she does not know if there is a vacancy at the Gold Coast Hospital where Dr Haneef previously worked, but he would be welcomed back to Queensland Health.

"If Dr Haneef satisfied the visa requirements and the registration requirements, we'd be very pleased to have him and any other suitably qualified medical practitioners in our hospitals," she said.

"We have a lot of pressure on our hospitals, we want to see qualified doctors working in them as quickly as possible."

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