Candace Owens will not be setting foot in Australia anytime soon.
On Wednesday, the country’s High Court delivered a unanimous verdict backing the government’s decision to deny the conservative commentator a visa for her planned speaking tour, citing serious concerns that her presence could “incite discord” and stir up community tension.
The ruling marks a definitive end to Owens’ months-long legal effort to overturn the visa denial — and a clear message from Australian officials about who gets through their gates.
The decision stems from Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s October 2024 move to block Owens’ entry under Australia’s Migration Act, which allows the government to deny visas to non-citizens who fail a so-called “character test.”
In Owens’ case, Burke cited a long list of public comments — ranging from alleged Holocaust denial and Islamophobic remarks to inflammatory takes on race, LGBTQIA+ rights, and COVID-19 — as the basis for his determination.
Owens and her legal team argued that the decision violated the implied constitutional freedom of political communication. But Australia, unlike the United States, does not have a codified First Amendment-style guarantee of free speech. The court agreed with the government’s position, ruling that while the visa denial did impose some burden on political expression, that burden was justified in the interest of protecting social harmony.
“The implied freedom is not a ‘personal right,’ is not unlimited and is not absolute,” wrote Justices Stephen Gageler, Michelle Gordon, and Robert Beech-Jones in their joint opinion.
Minister Burke welcomed the ruling as a “win for social cohesion,” adding pointedly: “Inciting discord might be the way some people make money but it’s not welcome in Australia. Australia’s national interest is best served when Candace Owens is somewhere else.”
The court also ordered Owens to pay the government’s legal costs.
This case is just the latest in a growing list of international refusals aimed at controversial American figures. Just this past July, Australia also revoked the visa of rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West) over concerns about his promotion of Nazi themes in a song released earlier this year.
Owens’ name now joins that list of high-profile denials, reinforcing Australia’s position that entry into the country is a privilege, not a right — especially when it comes to figures known for incendiary rhetoric.
