Chris Brown May Be Denied Entry To Australia

Don’t expect Chris Brown’s Australian gigs to go ahead this December.

Update: The Government has issued Brown with a Notice of Intention to Consider Refusal of his visa. He has 28 days to provide evidence as to why he should be let into Australia. Otherwise, he ain't allowed in. The story as originally reported follows.

Following today’s launch of the Government’s $100 million package to combat domestic violence, Minister for Women Michaelia Cash is now being asked whether or not Chris Brown will be allowed into Australia for his coming tour.

Brown, you probably don’t need reminding, pleaded guilty to violently assaulting Rihanna in 2009. He was sentenced to five years’ probation, along with community service and counselling as a result of the attack on his then-girlfriend.

Turns out Aussies aren’t exactly into his impending arrival. Posters promoting his Melbourne show were “re-branded”, courtesy of stickers proclaiming “I Beat Women”.

Meanwhile, a petition hosted by GetUp protesting Brown’s Australian visit has so far accumulated more than 10,000 signatures.

Will it be heard?

“I can assure you that the minister for immigration and border protection will be looking at this very, very seriously,” Minister Cash told press today.

“People need to understand if you are going to commit domestic violence and then you want to travel around the world, there are going to be countries that say to you ‘You cannot come in because you are not of the character we expect in Australia,’ and certainly, without pre-empting the decision of the minister, I can assure you it is something that the minister is looking at.”

Earlier this year, boxer Floyd Mayweather was denied entry to Australia on account of his criminal record and history of domestic violence.

On the flip side, rapper Tyler the Creator canceled his Australian tour last month following a campaign to have him barred from entering the country.

It should be noted that Tyler has no criminal convictions to his name, unlike Brown or Mayfield. Rather, it was the violent imagery of his past lyrics that inspired the revolt. As Tyler’s manager put it for that particular instance, “this is a broader issue of free speech, with new lines being drawn that include reaching back in time without acknowledging growth [and] in fact, punishing growth.”

(It's just worth clarifying the difference between Tyler the Creator and Chris Brown, you know? Especially when you consider that Brown has spent the past six years getting into a number of different violent altercations, including one with Tyler's friend and collaborator Frank Ocean.)

What say you? Is banning Brown the right move?