Safe to Go Home?

(2006) 231 ALR 340.

Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, opened for signature 28 July 1951, 189 UNTS 150, (entered into force 22 April 1954).

Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), Schedule 2, 785 (Visa Class XA, subclass 785).

Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), Schedule 2, 866 (Visa Class XA, subclass 866).

The application of art 1C(5) of the Convention and the Australian decisions relating to that article in the Federal Court have been analysed in this journal and elsewhere: See Hay Emily Kneebone Susan , ‘Refugee Status in Australia and the Cessation Provisions: QAAH of 2004 v MIMIA’, (2006) 31(3) Alternative Law Journal 147; O'Sullivan Maria , ‘Before the High Court: Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs v QAAH: Cessation of Refugee Status’ (2006) 28 Sydney Law Review 359.

QAAH (2006) 231 ALR 340, 350.

Ruddock Philip , ‘Refugee Claims and Australian Migration Law: A Ministerial Perspective’ (2000) 23 University of New South Wales Law Journal 1, 3; Amanda Vanstone, then Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, commented that TPVs ‘are a key plank of our border protection measures’: See Dick Tim Cubby Ben , ‘Afghans sent packing after court rules on temporary visas’, Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney), 16 November 2006, 7.

See Esmaeili Hossein Wells Belinda , ‘The Temporary Refugees: Australia's Legal Response to the Arrival of Iraqi and Afghan Boat People’ (2000) 23 University of New South Wales Law Journal (2000) 224, and Edwards Alice , ‘Tampering with Refugee Protection: The Case of Australia’ (2003) 15 International Journal of Refugee Law 192.

See Chan v Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs (1989) 169 CLR 379, 392, 432; MIMA v Thiyagarajah (1997) 80 FCR 543, 572; and Hathaway J , Law of Refugee Status (1991) 189.

(2006) 231 ALR 340, 353.

Germov Roz Motta Francesco , Refugee Law in Australia (2003) 403.

O'Sullivan, above n 5, 361; see also Human Rights Watch, ‘Commentary on Australia's Temporary Protection Visas for Refugees’ (May 2003) <http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/refugees/australia051303.pdf> at 15 May 2007.

Human Rights Watch, above n 12.

Ibid.

MIMA v Khawar (2002) 210 CLR 1, 16 ( McHugh Gummow JJ ).

RRT Decision (unpublished), as cited in QAAH v MIMIA [2004] FCA 1448 (Unreported, Dowsett J , 11 November 2004) [18]–[23].

Ibid.

Ibid [25].

QAAH v MIMIA (2005) 145 FCR 363.

Ibid 383.

Ibid.

NBGM v MIMIA (2006) 150 FCR 522 (‘NBGM’).

Ibid 530.

MIMIA v QAAH [2005] HCATrans 1033 (16 December 2005).

Ibid.

The majority comprised Gummow ACJ, and Callinan, Heydon and Crennan JJ.

QAAH (2006) 231 ALR 340, 350.

Ibid.

Ibid.

Ibid 351.

Ibid 350.

Ibid.

The standard urged by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in its Guidelines on International Protection: Cessation of Refugee Status under Article 1C(5) and (6) of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (2003) <http://www.unhcr.org/publ/PUBL/3e637a202.pdf> at 15 May 2007.

QAAH (2006) 231 ALR 340, 368.

Ibid 376–377.

Ibid 378.

Ibid 354.

Ibid 359.

See, eg, Kirby Justice Michael , ‘Law, like the Olympics, is now International – But will Australia win Gold?’ (2000) 7 James Cook University Law Review 4.

In Al-Kateb v Godwin (2004) 219 CLR 562, McHugh J , dismissed the idea of interpretation of domestic law by reference to international law as ‘based on a fiction’: At 624.

Charlesworth Hilary , ‘Dangerous Liaisons: Globalisation and Australian Public Law’ (1998) 20 Adelaide Law Review 57, 66.

UNHCR, Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status under the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees (1979, re-edited 1992).

See, eg, Chan v MIMIA (1989) 169 CLR 379, 392; Re Woolley; Ex parte Applicants M276/2003 (2004) 210 ALR 369, 399.

UNHCR, ‘UNHCR concerned about confirmation of TPV system by High Court’ (Press Release, 20 November 2006) <http://www.unhcr.org.au/pdfs/TPVHighCourt.pdf> at 15 May 2007.

Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Annual Report 1999–2000 <http://www.immi.gov.au/about/reports/annual/1999–2000/index.htm> at 15 May 2007.

Evidence to Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee, Senate, Canberra, 22 February 2002, 468 (Mr Robert Illingworth, Assistant Secretary, Onshore Protection Branch, DIMIA) <http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/commttee/s5394.pdf> at 15 May 2007.

‘A Report on Visits to Immigration Detention Facilities by the Human Rights Commissioner 2001’, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission <http://www.hreoc.gov.au/human_rights/idc/idc2001.html> at 15 May 2007.

Evidence to Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee, Senate, Canberra, 17 February 2004, 42 (Mr Peter Hughes, First Assistant Secretary, Refugee, Humanitarian and International Division, DIMIA) <http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/commttee/S7314.pdf> at 15 May 2007.

Evidence to Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee, Senate, Canberra, 27 May 2004, 12 <http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/commttee/S7629.pdf> at 15 May 2007.

See Rubin Barnett R , The Fragmentation of Afghanistan: State Formation and Collapse in the International System (1995).

Maley William , ‘Political Transitions and the Cessation of Refugee Status: Some Lessons from Afghanistan and Iraq’ (2004) 22 Law in Context 156, 172. See also Saikal Amin , Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle and Survival (2004).

Saikal , above n 51, 238.

International Crisis Group, ‘Countering Afghanistan's Insurgency: No Quick Fixes’, Asia Report No 123 (2 November 2006).

Brotherhood of Laurence St , ‘Closing the Gap for TPV Refugees in Victoria: A State-wide Action Plan’ (2005) <http://www.bsl.org.au/pdfs/TPV_action_plan_2005.pdf> at 15 May 2007.

Campion-Smith Bruce , ‘Government Plans for Iraqi Refugees: UN agency will ask western countries to open doors to those fleeing violence’, The Toronto Star (Toronto), 20 January 2007, 4.

Al-Kateb v Godwin (2004) 208 ALR 124; MIMIA v Al Khafaji (2004) 219 CLR 664; Re Woolley; Ex parte Applicants M276/2003 (2004) 210 ALR 369; Behrooz v Secretary of DIMIA (2004) 219 CLR 486.

Head Michael , ‘Detention Without Trials — A Threat to Democratic Rights’ (2005) 9 University of Western Sydney Law Review 33.

Head Michael , ‘Detention Without Trials — Is There No Limit?’ (2005) 30(2) Alternative Law Journal 63; Reilly Alex , ‘Immigration Detention: Pushing the Boundaries’ (2004) 29(5) Alternative Law Journal 248.