The Australian government has successfully rushed through legislation that explicitly authorises offshore detention funding for Nauru and Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island, before a High Court challenge to its policy.
The changes to the Migration Act passed the Senate yesterday evening, without amendment.
The opposition Labor party supported the legislation, but Greens party attempts to place conditions on Australia’s operation of offshore immigration detention centres failed.
But some of the commentary in the Senate, as the bill was rushed through, has clarified the position of Australia’s leading political parties.
SPEAKERS: Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens party senator; Daniel Webb, Human Rights Law Centre; George Brandis, Australia’s attorney-general; Kim Carr, Labor party senator
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