Immigration – Detention - Migration Act 1958 (Cth) ("Migration Act"), ss 189 and 196 - Whether detention of children authorised by Migration Act - Whether children may request release from detention under Migration Act, s 198 - Whether detention valid if children unable to request release - Relevance of international jurisprudence and parens patriae jurisdiction.
Constitutional law (Cth) – Judicial power of the Commonwealth - Immigration detention - Whether Migration Act, ss 189 and 196 validly require detention of children - Whether legislation reasonably capable of being seen as necessary for the purposes of reception, investigation, admission or deportation of aliens - Characterisation of detention as punitive or non-punitive.
Words and phrases – "judicial power", "alien", "decision-making capacity", "community", "membership of the Australian community".
Constitution – Ch III, s 51(xix), (xxvii).
Migration Act 1958 (Cth) – ss 5, 189, 196, 198, 252A, 252B.
Judgment date
Case number
M276/2003
Before
Gleeson CJ, McHugh, Gummow, Kirby, Hayne, Callinan, Heydon JJ
Catchwords