Australia’s High Court has unanimously backed a decision by the Home Affairs Minister to reject a visa application from conservative commentator Candace Owens.
On Wednesday the full bench of the High Court ruled that the decision did not infringe an implied constitutional freedom of political communication.
In October 2024 Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke blocked Owens from being issued a visa to visit Australia for a speaking tour saying her presence in the country would have the “capacity to incite discord”.
“Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else.” Burke said at the time.
Owens was scheduled to tour Australia including a date at Perth’s Riverside Theatre on Wednesday 20th November. She had also advertised appearances in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. The tour was cancelled when she failed to secure a visa.
In their judgement the judges said the minister had argued that Owens has a history of making “extremist and inflammatory comments towards Muslim, Black, Jewish and LGBTQIA+ communities which generate controversy and hatred”.
The podcaster has over 18 million followers online and has often been accused of spreading conspiracy theories and downplaying Nazi atrocities.
She is currently being sued in the USA by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, over a podcast series she created which claims that Brigitte Macron is secretly a transgender woman.
“This is a win for social cohesion. Inciting discord might be the way some people make money, but it’s not welcome in Australia.” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.
Owens has been ordered to pay all of the court costs relating to the case.
