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Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Australia

NZYQ v. Minister for Immigration (indefinite detention)

High Court of Australia · Australia · 2023-11-08 · National court

Citation: [2023] HCA 37
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side

Question

May a non-citizen be held in immigration detention indefinitely when there is no real prospect of removal?

What the court decided

No. Detention with no real prospect of removal in the reasonably foreseeable future is punitive and beyond the Commonwealth’s power; Al-Kateb (2004) was overruled.

In plain language

A stateless Rohingya man had been held for years because no country would take him. The High Court said this was unlawful, and more than 100 people were released.

Dalam bahasa sederhana

Seorang pria Rohingya tanpa kewarganegaraan ditahan bertahun-tahun karena tidak ada negara yang mau menerimanya. Pengadilan Tinggi menyatakan ini tidak sah, dan lebih dari 100 orang dibebaskan.

Pertanyaan: Bolehkah bukan warga negara ditahan tanpa batas dalam detensi imigrasi ketika tidak ada prospek nyata untuk dikeluarkan?

What happened afterwards

  • 2004: Al-Kateb allows indefinite detention.
  • 2023-11-08: Orders made; Al-Kateb overruled.
  • 2023-12: New laws impose visa conditions on those released.

Sources

Open this decision in the interactive collection (compare, filter, Indonesian view, downloads).

Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/au-nzyq-2023/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.

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