Implications of the PNG Supreme Court decision on offshore detention
In April 2016, the highest court in Papua New Guinea found (in a unanimous decision) that detention of refugees and asylum seekers in its Australian-funded 'processing' centres is unconstitutional, Namah v Pato [2016] PJSC 13 (26 April 2016). Although the Supreme Court decision is not directly enforceable under Australian law, it will have significant legal and political implications for the continuing operation of Australia's offshore processing centres.