2024-05-10
The Albanese Labor Government must now scrap their anti-refugee, travel ban Bill as the only supposed claim of ‘urgency’ has been removed following the High Court’s ruling on ASF17 vs the Commonwealth.
In late March the Government tried to force the Migration Amendment (Removals and Other Measures) Bill 2024 through Parliament, claiming it was urgently needed, due to cases like ASF17.
With the High Court’s ruling this morning the Government’s already unjustifiable Bill has completely collapsed.
The Greens’ Senate motion in March 2024 stopped the Bill from being rammed through Parliament in less than two days and secured a Senate inquiry where it became clear that the community completely rejected this legislation.
Every single submission to the inquiry, except those made by Commonwealth institutions, found this Bill to be fundamentally cruel, extreme, unworkable and a threat to social cohesion and multiculturalism.
Greens Immigration Spokesperson Senator David Shoebridge said: “Today’s ruling, which is a real blow to those seeking a more humane asylum system, has also stripped the last shred of credibility from Labor’s proposed new migration powers."
“From day one the Albanese Government connected this case to the need for their shambolic and divisive attack on people seeking asylum and travel bans. That case has now collapsed.
“The High Court’s ruling, that people must stay in detention until they become so medically unwell they literally can’t be removed, shows the need for politicians to make better policies and stop indefinite detention.
“The only continuing ‘reasons’ for Labor to proceed with this Bill are to be able to jail people who are too unwell to cooperate with their deportation and to black list countries using their new Trump-styled powers. Is this really what the Albanese Government wants?
“There was never any genuine basis at all for Labor to push for these cruel powers, but now their arguments for these powers have collapsed even on their own terms.”