The Sanctity of Asylum

Plaintiff M68/2015 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2016] HCA I.

Gordon Michael McKenzie Nick and Baker Richard , The faces of the babies Australia wants to send back to “hell” on Nauru’, Sydney Morning Herald (online), 2 February 2016 <http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/the-faces-of-the-babies-australia-wants-to-send-back-to-hell-on-nauru-20160201-gmirsb.html>.

The website of the Refugee Taskforce of the National Council for Churches (the ‘Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce’) , <http://www.acrt.com.au/wp-content/uploads/ACRTBoardMembersAugust2016.pdf>.

Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce , Campaigns <http://www.acrt.com.au/campaigns/>.

Holgate Tess , ‘Leaders of three biggest denominations not offering sanctuary for asylum-seekers’ <http://www.biblesociety.org.au/news/leaders-of-three-biggest-denominations-not-offering-sanctuary-for-asylum-seekers>.

Singarayar Suganthi , ‘EastTimor-Refugees: Australia Irked by Church's Sanctuary Offer’, InterPress News, 9 November 1995 <http://www.ipsnews.net/1995/11/east-timor-refugees-australia-irked-by-churchs-sanctuary-offer/>.

Similar legal issues would apply to any transfer to Papua New Guinea.

See, eg, Plaintiff M68, above n I.

See, eg, UNHCR Regional Representation Canberra, UNHCR monitoring visit to the Republic of Nauru 7 to 9 October 2013, 26 November 2013, <http://unhcr.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2013-12-06-Report-of-UNHCR-Visit-to-Nauru-of-7-9–October-20l3.pdf>; Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, Submission to the Select Committee on the Recent Allegations Relating to Conditions and Circumstances at the Regional Processing Centre in Nauru, April 2015 <http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Regional_processing_Nauru/Regional_processing_Nauru/Submissions>; Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights , ‘Best interests of the child must come first, UN child rights committee reminds Australia’, (Press Release, 3 February 2016); Amnesty International, Annual Report, Nauru 2015/2016 <https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/asia-and-the-pacific/nauru/report-nauru>.

Migration Act 1958 (Cth) , s 233E(2) and (3).

Farrell Paul , ‘Churches offer sanctuary to asylum seekers facing deportation to Nauru’, The Guardian (online), 4 February 2016 <http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/04/churches-offer-sanctuary-to-asylum-seekers-facing-deportation-to-nauru>.

See, eg, Edwards Michael ‘Sanctuary offered to asylum seekers facing removal to offshore detention by churches across Australia’, ABC News <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-04/churches-offer-sanctuary-to-asylum-seekers/7138484>; Winter Sean , ‘Sanctuary for asylum seekers is an offer with ancient pedigree’, 5 February 2016, The Conversation <https://theconversation.com/sanctuary-for-asylum-seekers-is-an-offer-with-ancient-pedigree-54234>.

Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce <http://www.acrt.com.au/sanctuary-for-asylum-seekers/>.

See, eg, Deuteronomy 4: 41–42.

Begaj Pamela , ‘An Analysis of Historical and Legal Sanctuary and a Cohesive Approach to the Current Movement’ (2008) 42 John Marshall Law Review 135, 140.

Ibid 141.

Ibid 138–9.

Ibid 140.

Bianchi Herman , Justice as Sanctuary: Toward a New System of Crime Control (Indiana University Press, 1994), cited in Ibid 137.

Lippert and Rehaag, Sanctuary Practices in International Perspectives (Routledge, 2013) 126–129; Curtet Pauline , ‘Refugees in Germany turn to church for sanctuary’, France24 News, 26 May 2016, <http://www.france24.com/en/20160526-refugees-germany-turn-church-sanctuary>.

Begaj, above n 15, 142.

Gzesh Susan , ‘Central Americans and Asylum Policy in the Reagan Era’, Migration Information Source, 2006 <http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/central-americans-and-asylum-policy-reagan-era>.

Schmidt Paul , ‘Refuge in the United States: The Sanctuary Movement Should Use the Legal System’ (1986–1987) 15 Hofstra Law Review 79; Carro Jorge , ‘Sanctuary: The Resurgence of an Age-Old Right or a Dangerous Misinterpretation of an Abandoned Ancient Privilege’ (1986) 54 University of Cincinnati Law Review TAT.

Carro, above n 23, 768.

Ibid 768–9.

See Begaj , above n 15, 144.

Ibid 145.

8 USC § 1324(a) (2000).

See Begaj , above n 15, 136.

Ibid 146.

United States v Elder , 601 F Supp 1574, 1577 (S D Tex 1985).

Ibid 1576.

Ibid 1577.

Ibid 1580.

United States v Aguilar , 883 F.2d 662 (9th Cir. 1989);

Ibid.

See, eg, APLA Ltd v Legal Services Commissioner (NSW) (2005) 224 CLR 322, where Gleeson CJ and Heydon J emphasised that the implied freedom of political communication was not a general freedom of communication of the kind protected by the US Constitution.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UNGA Res. 2I7A (III), 10 Dec. 1948, Art 14.

Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, opened for signature 28 July 1951, 189 UNTS 150 (entered into force 22 April 1954), Art 33.

See above n 9.

UN News Centre , ‘Australia and Nauru must end offshore detention; investigate claims of abuse – UN rights office’, 12 August 2016, <http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewslD=54669#.V6_8pUI97IU>.

Crofts Penny and Prior Jason , ‘Churches would break the law if they gave sanctuary to asylum seekers – but does it matter?’, The Conversation, 9 February 2016 <http://theconversation.com/churches-would-break-the-law-if-they-gave-sanctuary-to-asylum-seekers-but-does-it-matter-54232>.

Lavoipierre Angela , ‘Detention centre laws: Doctors warn Border Force Act clashes with Medical Board of Australia Code of Conduct’, ABC News, 19 June 2015 <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-19/doctors-warn-detention-centres-conflict-medical-code-of-conduct/6559940>.

See, eg, McHugh-Dillon Harriet , “‘If they are genuine refugees, why?” Public attitudes to unauthorised arrivals in Australia: A review of the evidence for the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture’, April 2015 <http://www.foundationhouse.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Public-attitudes-to-unauthorised-arrivals-in-Australia-Foundation-House-review-2015.pdf>.