'Irresponsible and irrational:' Aussie startups speak out on Muslim ban

2025-04-27 15:41:34admin

President Donald Trump's Muslim travel ban caused chaos over the weekend, but the full reach of its impact is still emerging.

The executive order, which pauses travel to the U.S. for citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries, as well as indefinitely halting the Syrian refugee program, saw people turned away at the border and pulled off planes.

While not so immediately impacted, the ban will also have consequences for some Australian technology workers and their businesses.

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The CEO of HotelsCombined, Hichame Assi, holds both British and Syrian passports and has lived in Australia since 2008.

He told Mashablehe was planning to travel to the U.S. in April for business meetings, but he's put that on hold. "From what I've heard -- and this is part of the problem, there are a lot of confusing signals -- that I can't go there for 90 days and I'm not sure why 90 and what happens after," he said.

"Questions about immigration on this scale are global questions and require a global response."

It appears UK dual nationals will not be affected by the ban, but Assi still plans to wait until things are clearer.

A longterm ban would be highly disruptive. Assi travels to the U.S. two or three times a year typically, and he worries for employees who also have Syrian and Iranian backgrounds.

"Anecdotally, I've heard from a lot of people, even pure Aussies, who have cancelled their trips to the U.S. out of disgust," he added. "So I think we're going to see an impact to inbound tourism to the U.S. in general."

Although he said he felt personally affronted by the ban, he considers himself one of the lucky ones. "There are a lot of Syrians who can't get out of the country, let alone get in anywhere else," he said.

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Others in the Australian startup industry have also spoken out against the ban.

Mike Cannon-Brookes, the cofounder of software company Atlassian, said on Twitter Sunday he wants to see a response from Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull akin to that of Justin Trudeau.

The Canadian Prime Minister tweeted Sunday, "To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength."

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It appears he'll go wanting, however. "It is not my job as prime minister of Australia to run a commentary on the domestic policies of other countries," Turnbull said at a press conference Monday.

"We believe in creating equal opportunity and access for everyone and I stand against any action that does not support these," Cannon-Brookes said in a statement shared by TechSydney. "I am shocked and saddened by the impact these restrictions could have on, not only Atlassian employees and their families, but all citizens whose dignity is being trampled."

"It's easy to say 'this is a matter for Trump and the U.S.,' but questions about immigration on this scale are global questions and require a global response," Alex McCauley, the CEO of StartupAUS, which organises on behalf of Australian startups, told Mashable.

He called the ban both "irresponsible and irrational."

As McCauley pointed out, half of the tech unicorns in the U.S. were founded by immigrants. That's a situation mirrored in Australia, where StartupAUS's statistics found that 61 percent of Australia's top 50 startups were founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants.

"Australia is a country with a huge immigrant population, to our great advantage," he said. "We have a lot of connections with the U.S., particularly with the West Coast. There will definitely be startup founders and employees affected."

If Trump's ban continues, there may also be a chance for Australia to benefit if it takes the initiative, Assi suggested.

"There are very smart people in these countries who would have gone to Google, Microsoft -- we might be able to attract them in Australia now," he said. "If we can be smart about that, it's a good opportunity."

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