Chris Brown Denied Visa To Tour Australia

After threatening to stop Chris Brown from touring Australia because of his history of domestic violence against former girlfriend Rihanna, the Australian Government has told the US singer it will refuse his visa application to enter the country for his upcoming national tour.

As The Guardian reports, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has confirmed that Brown’s visa application to tour Australia has been formally denied on character grounds. The government issued Brown with a notice of intent to refuse him a visa on Friday night, 25th September, according to reports.

Brown now has 28 days to appeal the Government’s decision, or to withdraw his application to visit Australia for his One Hell Of A Nite Tour, which is scheduled for December.

In a statement, Mr Dutton says, “People to whom these notices are issued have 28 days to present material as to why they should be given a visa to enter Australia.

“Decisions on whether a visa will or will not be issued are made after that timeframe and consideration of the material presented to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.”

The Government’s refusal notice comes after it revealed that it was considering denying Brown a visa, with both Minster for Women Michaelia Cash and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaking out against domestic violence.

In 2009, Brown was charged with felony assault and making criminal threats against Rihanna. A restraining order was issued against him, and he was handed five years of probation, which formally ended on 20th March this year, closing the felony case.

Brown has toured in Australia twice since his conviction, in 2011 and 2012, and is scheduled to perform in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane on his upcoming Australian tour.

A petition calling for Brown to be denied entry to Australia was launched by advocacy group GetUp! earlier this month, after this image of a slightly edited Chris Brown tour poster appeared online:

Image in post via FasterLouder Brown is yet to publicly comment on the Australian Government's notice of intent to deny him a visa. UPDATE 28/09/15: Brown has made an official statement, vowing to fight the move to ban him. Tickets to his Australian tour have also gone on sale. More info here. UPDATE 02/12/15: Just a week before it was scheduled to kick off, Chris Brown's Australian and New Zealand tour has been officially cancelled. For those needing assistance, 1800 Respect – the National Sexual Assault Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service – can be reached on 1800 737 732