Australians who live overseas may be unable to leave country if they return for visit

Government expands border ban in a move experts say could be constitutionally invalid and unfairly affect Australians from multicultural backgrounds

The Australian government has quietly expanded its ban on Australian citizens leaving the country to include people who are ordinarily residents in another country, meaning that even people who live overseas may not be allowed to leave Australia.

Prof Kim Rubenstein, an expert in citizenship law from the University of Canberra, said the change would unfairly affect Australians from multicultural backgrounds and could be constitutionally invalid.