Save the Children Australia v Minister for Home Affairs [2024] FCAFC 81

Federal Court of Australia

Save the Children Australia v Minister for Home Affairs [2024] FCAFC 81 Appeal from: Save the Children Australia v Minister for Home Affairs [2023] FCA 1343

File number: VID 1006 of 2023

Judgment of: MORTIMER CJ, KENNETT AND HORAN JJ

Date of judgment: 18 June 2024

Catchwords: ADMINISTRATIVE LAW – appeal – detention of Australian women and children by non-state actor in Al-Roj camp in North-East Syria – whether writ of habeas corpus should issue to the Commonwealth – whether Commonwealth has control over the custody or detention of the individuals – whether the writ should issue to test the asserted lack of control – each ground of appeal dismissed

Legislation: Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 (Cth) s 23 Judiciary Act 1901 (Cth) s 39B

Cases cited: Barnardo v Ford [1892] AC 326 Blatch v Archer (1774) 98 ER 969 Bradshaw v McEwans Pty Ltd (1951) 217 ALR 1 C3 v Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs [2023] EWCA Civ 444; [2023] 3 WLR 529 Carr v Baker (1936) 36 SR (NSW) 301 Jones v Dunkel [1959] HCA 8; 101 CLR 298 McHugh v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs [2020] FCAFC 223; 283 FCR 602 Moore v Goldhagen [2024] VSCA 25 Plaintiff M68/2015 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2016] HCA 1; 257 CLR 42 R v Secretary of State for Home Affairs; ex parte O'Brien [1923] 2 KB 361 Rahmatullah v Secretary of State for Defence [2012] UKSC 48; [2013] 1 AC 614 Roberts-Smith v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited (No 41) [2023] FCA 555 Save the Children Australia v Minister for Home Affairs [2023] FCA 1343