Coalition faces High Court challenge to PNG solution
The Coalition could be facing its first legal hurdle with a High Court challenge to the former Rudd government’s deal to re-settle asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea. The Coalition has said they will stop the boats from day one, and are promising to return to the temporary protection visas, fast-tracking claims and removing access to legal appeals. But a high profile lawyer says their policies are risky.
Human rights lawyer David Manne was behind the High Court decision which overturned the so-called Malaysian solution. He’s proposing a new approach to asylum seeker issues based on the ethics of protection. David Manne says there is a precedent for cases where there the government has tried to reduce people’s rights – and it hasn’t gone well for the government.