Foreign Minister Alexander Downer did not name names when he announced his decision to remove children of Zimbabwe leaders from Australia last Friday (reported in Crikey). 

He did, however, say that they were “eight children of senior members of the Mugabe regime”. This has led to speculation.

ZimDaily is reporting that one of the people on the list is “believed to be” Reason Wafawarova. Crikey’s information suggests this is unlikely. Moreover, Downer referred quite specifically to children of senior figures and Wafawarova wouldn’t be described in this way.

In May, Radio National’s Background Briefing profiled Wafawarova, a post-graduate student in international relations at Sydney’s Macquarie University who it alleged has continuing links with the ruling party, Zanu-PF.

Wendy Carlisle reported Zimbabwe hansard as showing Wafawarova “had one of the most senior roles” in the Ministry of Youth, the organisation responsible for training Zimbabwe’s youth militia, once described by Robert Mugabe as Zanu PF’s “big, hard-knuckled fist”.

Wafawarova denied this role and took exception — he is suing the program. He said on the Background Briefing program, “the reports that I was a Director doing the duties you mentioned are just malicious and untrue.”

Crikey understands that the matter is due to return to the Supreme Court in October. 

What the court decides is one thing, what the Government does next another.

It’s believed that the matter of Wafawarova’s visa is being discussed at a ministerial level. And as Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews was keen to point out recently, he has a much lower burden of proof than the courts when determining such matters.

A visa holder can fail the character test where “they have, or have had, an association with an individual, group or organisation suspected of having been, or being, involved in criminal conduct”.

All it takes is “that I should form a reasonable suspicion of an association…”, Andrews noted in reference to Dr Mohamed Haneef.

Though he might be wary of exercising this discretion right now.