Whistleblower Chelsea Manning’s upcoming Australian tour are asking key government figures for discretion in regards to visa processing when entering the country, after it was revealed that it was threatened to deny her a visa. This is based on section 501 of the Migration Act, which underlines that a minister may refuse a visa on ‘character grounds’.
Manning gained significance after leaking US military secrets through the file sharing service ‘Wikileaks’, spending time in detention before being given clemency by President Obama in 2017.
Now being considered a public figure, Manning is gaining a large audience, with possibility of her event being staged at the Sydney Opera House.