Chris Brown Might Not Be Allowed Down Under

'You are not of the character that we expect,' says minister
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 24, 2015 9:44 AM CDT
Chris Brown Might Not Be Allowed Down Under
In this July 25, 2015 file photo, Grammy award-winning singer Chris Brown performs at a club in Macau.   (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

Chris Brown has had his fair share of travel troubles. In July, he was stranded in the Philippines for three days over a contract dispute. Before that, he was barred from entering both Canada and the UK. Now, Australia may follow the lead of its Commonwealth partners and refuse to allow the singer entry because of his 2009 domestic violence conviction, reports the BBC. The federal government says it's reviewing Brown's visa application after the singer announced a December tour in the country and Australian Minister for Women Michaelia Cash says they aren't "afraid to say no." After all, Australia in February barred boxer Floyd Mayweather, who served time in jail for an assault on a former partner in 2012, reports the Guardian.

"People need to understand, if you are going to commit domestic violence and 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 that we expect in Australia,'" says Cash, who spoke just as new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced a $100 million national domestic violence prevention program. She adds her "strong recommendation" is to block Brown, though immigration minister Peter Dutton will have the final decision. An online petition asking Dutton to "refuse Chris Brown a visa to visit Australia" because "he is in breach of the Australian visa character test" has over 12,500 signatures. Meanwhile, Brown concert posters have been defaced with "I beat women" stickers, reports 9 News. (More Chris Brown stories.)

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