Dutch beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde – a convicted child rapist – has been banned from entering Australia ahead of the Beach Volleyball World Championships next month, InDaily was told.

His visa rejection followed a South Australian government campaign urging the federal government to ban him from entering the country.

South Australian Attorney-General Kyam Maher wrote to the federal government calling for the ban, noting van de Velde’s offending was “utterly abhorrent”.

“We do not believe that foreign child sex offenders should be granted entry to this country,” Maher wrote.

In a statement on Tuesday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government would “continue to use every tool we have available to ensure that Australians can be safe and feel safe in their comm

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