Ministerial Discretion in Migration Decisions: Reflections on Asylum for the Iranian Women’s Soccer Team (ANZSIL IHRL Interest Group Webinar)

The symposium will feature a panel discussion, hosted by the ANZSIL International Human Rights Law Interest Group, between three leading refugee law experts - Mary Anne Kenny, Eve Lester and Maria O’Sullivan - on the use of ministerial discretionary powers in migration decisions. It will focus on the Australian government’s handling of asylum claims by the Iranian women’s soccer team earlier this year as a case study.

In April 2026, the Australian government used ministerial discretion powers to grant seven members of the Iranian women’s football team Subclass 449 Temporary Humanitarian Visas following the AFC Women's Asian Cup. Around the same time, the government introduced draconian migration legislation for other cohorts of asylum seekers, raising concerns about differential and unequal treatment of individuals.

The panellists will reflect upon this case study and consider ways in which Australia’s refugee and migration system could be improved. 

This discussion will be relevant to students, legal practitioners, civil society and academic researchers.

Speakers

Mary Anne Kenny is an Associate Professor of Law and a Principal fellow of the Indo Pacific Research Centre at Murdoch University. She researches and publishes in refugee law and human rights, and has a particular research focus on the intersection of mental health and refugee law.