Detention is lawful

THE High Court has reaffirmed the federal government’s ability to detain people brought to Australia for medical treatment from the Nauru or Manus Island detention centres.

The case involved an Iranian mother and daughter brought to Australia in 2014 for healthcare. The pair had arrived on Christmas Island in 2013 before being sent to Nauru.

While in Australia for treatment, they were detained in Darwin and Melbourne at immigration transit accommodation. The court ruled yesterday their detention had been a lawful act by the government.