Chris Brown Denied Visa To Tour Australia; Government Minister Cites History Of Domestic Violence

Troubled singer Chris Brown has been denied a visa to enter Australia, where he planned a concert tour later this year, as a result of his history of domestic violence. The country's immigration minister said that Brown's visa was denied on character grounds.

Brown planned to tour the country in December and tickets for his Australian concerts were due to go on sale Monday.

Australian immigration minister Peter Dutton said that Brown was issued with a formal notice that his visa application would be denied on Friday night, the Guardian reported. He has 28 days in which to appeal the ruling.

“People to whom these notices are issued have 28 days to present material as to why they should be given a visa to enter Australia,” Dutton said. “Decisions on whether a visa will or will not be issued are made after that timeframe and consideration of the material presented to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.”

Brown plead guilty to charges stemming from a violent attack on his then girlfriend, pop singer Rihanna, in 2009. He was sentenced to parole and community service, but has had legal trouble stemming from other incidents since.

Australia's women's minister, Michael Cash, foreshadowed the announcement on Thursday, saying: "I'm clearly not going to pre-empt a decision by the [immigration] Minister however I can assure you what my recommendation would be," she said.

"People need to understand, if you are going to commit domestic violence and then you want to travel around the world there are going to be countries that say to you, 'You cannot come in because you are not of the character that we expect in Australia'.”

Australia's denial of Brown's visa request is not the first occasion that his criminal past has affected his ability to perform overseas. In 2010, British authorities denied Brown a visa to enter the country, also citing his criminal past as justification.

Australia's neighbor, New Zealand, has also ruled the Brown is an unsuitable person to enter the country.