SMH Please Explain: Inside Politics, The immigration detention debacle, plus why boomers should hold off spending (1 December 2023)

Earlier this month the High Court overturned 20 years of precedent, ruling that indefinite immigration detention was unlawful.

It led to the immediate release of dozens of people. Some murderers, some sex offenders, and others who had failed on character grounds to remain in Australia - but none of them could be returned to their home countries.

Since that November 8 court ruling, the federal government has been scrambling to find a solution, rushing through legislation to impose tough restrictions on the people who were released.

Now the High Court’s full decision has been released, the government is facing political pressure from the Coalition to pass new laws that would redetain the worst offenders, in the last few parliamentary sitting days of the year.

Today, University of Canberra constitutional and citizenship law expert Professor Kim Rubenstein and chief political correspondent David Crowe on where to next for the government on indefinite immigration detention.