Australia will consider broadening its immigration laws to deport immigrants -- including permanent residents and naturalised citizens -- who hold extremist views, the attorney general said on Saturday.
Under existing laws, the government can deny entry to extremists on character, as well as security grounds, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said.
"One of the aspects of the character tests that we have applied for entry to Australia has included people who may promote views that are broadly unacceptable to the Australian community," Ruddock told reporters in Sydney.
He said the government will now consider widening that law to cover immigrants already in the country, including permanent residents and naturalised citizens, to deport those who promote extremist views.
Ruddock's comments came after Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty confirmed this week that intelligence authorities are aware of about 60 Islamic extremists living in Australia, including a self-styled Islamic cleric who appeared on television calling Osama bin Laden a 'great man'.
The Australian-Algerian cleric, Abu Bakr, also said it was acceptable under Islamic law for Australian Muslims to fight a holy war against coalition forces in Iraq.
Under existing laws, naturalised Australian citizens can only be removed from the country if they are found to have obtained their citizenship through fraud, Ruddock said.
Ruddock, however, acknowledged it would be difficult to deport a naturalised citizen because those stripped of their Australian nationality would be left 'stateless'.
