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Gerner v Victoria

[2020] HCA 48
Judgment date
Case number
M104/2020
Before
Kiefel CJ, Gageler, Keane, Gordon, Edelman JJ
Catchwords

Constitutional law (Cth) – Implications from Constitution – Where directions made under s 200(1)(b) and (d) of Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic) restricted movement of persons within Victoria – Where plaintiffs sought declarations that directions and s 200(1)(b) and (d) of Public Health and Wellbeing Act were invalid as an infringement of a freedom to move wherever one wishes for whatever reason ("freedom of movement") said to be implicit in Constitution – Where defendant demurred on ground that Constitution did not imply freedom of movement – Whether freedom of movement implicit in federal structure of Constitution – Whether freedom of movement protected by implied freedom of political communication – Whether freedom of movement implicit in s 92 of Constitution.

Words and phrases – "constitutional implication", "constitutional interpretation", "COVID-19", "federal structure", "federation", "freedom of movement", "implied freedom of movement", "implied freedom of political communication", "interstate intercourse", "intrastate intercourse", "political communication", "quarantine", "terms and structure", "text and structure".

Constitution – ss 51(ix), 92.

Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic) – ss 200(1)(b), 200(1)(d).

Files
48.rtf (390.48 KB)
48.pdf (199.79 KB)