26 The Centre for Public Integrity, ‘Executive
law-making doubles while accountability
decreases’ (Briefing Paper, September 2020)
<https://publicintegrity.org.au/wp-content/
uploads/2020/09/Briefing-paper-executivelawmaking-doubles.pdf>.
41
27
42 Human Rights Watch, World Report 2020
(January 2020) <https://www.hrw.org/worldreport/2020/country-chapters/australia>.
The existing framework for exemptions from
disallowance is summarised in Commonwealth
of Australia, Senate Standing Committee for the
Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation, Inquiry into
the Exemption of Delegated Legislation from
Parliamentary Oversight (Final Report, March
2021) ch 3.
28 Commonwealth of Australia, Senate Standing
Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated
Legislation, Inquiry into the Exemption of
Delegated Legislation from Parliamentary
Oversight (Final Report, March 2021) [1.28].
29 Commonwealth of Australia, Senate Standing
Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated
Legislation, Inquiry into the Exemption of
Delegated Legislation from Parliamentary
Oversight (Final Report, March 2021) [1.29].
30 Institute of Public Affairs, Bypassing democracy:
A report on the exemption of delegated
legislation from Parliamentary oversight (June
2020) 1 <https://ipa.org.au/wp-content/
uploads/2020/10/Bypassing-DemocracyA-report-on-the-exemption-of-delegatedlegislation-from-parliamentary-oversight.pdf>.
31
Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) s 105.35.
32 Telecommunications (Interception and Access)
Amendment (Data Retention) Act 2015 (Cth).
33 Kieran Hardy and George Williams, ‘Two decades
of Australian counter-terrorism laws’ (2022) 46(1)
Melbourne University Law Review, 45.
34 Kieran Hardy and George Williams, ‘Two decades
of Australian counter-terrorism laws’ (2022) 46(1)
Melbourne University Law Review, 43.
35 Australian Law Reform Commission, Traditional
Rights and Freedoms: Encroachments by
Commonwealth Laws (Final Report No 129,
December 2015) [4.5]. See, eg, Crimes Act 1914
(Cth) ss 70, 79.
36 Migration Act 1958 (Cth) s 189.
37
Migration Amendment (Character and General
Visa Cancellation) Act 2014 (Cth); Migration Act
1958 (Cth) s 501.
38 Yee-Fui Ng, ‘Have our governments become too
powerful during COVID-19?’ The Conversation
(Online) 20 September 2020 <https://
theconversation.com/have-our-governmentsbecome-too-powerful-during-covid-19-147028>.
39 Stephanie Brenker, ‘An Executive Grab for Power
During COVID-19?’ Australian Public Law (Web
Page, May 2020) <https://www.auspublaw.org/
blog/2020/05/an-executive-grab-for-powerduring-covid-19>.
40 See Australian Law Reform Commission,
Traditional Rights and Freedoms: Encroachments
by Commonwealth Laws (Final Report No 129,
December 2015) ch 4.
Rebecca Ananian-Welsh, ‘Why the raids on
Australian media present a clear threat to
democracy’, The Conversation (Online) 5 June
2019 <https://theconversation.com/why-theraids-on-australian-media-present-a-clear-threatto-democracy-118334>.
43 CIVICUS, Global Report 2019 (2019) <https://
civicus.contentfiles.net/media/assets/file/
GlobalReport2019.pdf>
44 Comcare v Banerji (2019) 267 CLR 373.
45 Australian Human Rights Commission,
‘Submission of the Australian Human Rights
Commission seeking leave to appear as amicus
curiae’ submission in Comcare v Banerji’ (2019)
267 CLR 373, No. C12 of 2018, 12 December
2018. See also Kieran Pender, ‘“A powerful
chill”? Comcare v Banerji [2019] HCA 23 and the
political expression of public servants’ Australian
Public Law (Blog, August 2018) <https://www.
auspublaw.org/blog/2019/08/a-powerful-chillcomcare-v-banerji-2019-hca-23>.
46 Comcare v Banerji (2019) 267 CLR 373 [164]
(Edelman J, dissenting).
47 Robert French, ‘The State of the Australian
Judicature’ (Speech to the Law Council of
Australia and the Australian Bar Association,
29 April 2016, Hobart, Tasmania) <https://cdn.
hcourt.gov.au/assets/publications/speeches/
current-justices/frenchcj/frenchcj29Apr2016.
pdf>.
48 Section 75(v) of the Australian Constitution
guarantees the High Court’s jurisdiction to
judicially review the actions of a Commonwealth
officer (including the actions of a Minister).
Section 39B of the Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth)
gives the Federal Court jurisdiction to review
the lawfulness of federal executive action. The
Administrative Review (Judicial Decisions)
Act 1977 (Cth) sets out grounds for review of
decisions made under many Commonwealth laws.
49 Plaintiff S156/2013 v Minister for Immigration and
Border Protection (2014) 254 CLR 28 [40].
50 Fiona McLeod SC, ‘National Interest and the Rule
of Law’ (Richardson Oration, ACT Law Society,
28 September 2017) <https://www.actlawsociety.
asn.au/article/national-interest-and-the-rule-oflaw#fn38>.
51
Law Council of Australia, Submission 166, Free
& Equal Inquiry.
52
Migration Act 1958 (Cth) ss 339, 411(3), 473BD.
53 Migration Act 1958 (Cth) s 501(3).
54 Migration Act 1958 (Cth) ss 501A(2)–(3).
55 Migration Act 1958 (Cth) s 502 (also ss 5H(2),
36(1C), 200-201).
56 Migration Act 1958 (Cth) s 5(1).
57
Migration Act 1958 (Cth) ss 5(1), 66(3).
58 Australian Lawyers Alliance, Submission 29, Free
& Equal Inquiry.
FREE AND EQUAL A Human Rights Act for Australia 2022
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