The vague wording and risky assumptions that landed Labor in a deportation debacle

Andrew Giles says tribunal did not apply common sense' when assessing visa cancellations - but sometimes common sense requires clear direction

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All week in parliament, Anthony Albanese and Andrew Giles have expressed frustration that in overturning visa cancellations affecting foreign-citizen convicted criminals, the administrative appeals tribunal (AAT) did not apply enough common sense".

With further comments from their cabinet colleague Murray Watt on ABC's Insiders on Sunday, it is finally clear what they mean. The clue is in the use of numbers and letters.