Refugees and asylum seekers held in offshore detention by Australia have won the right to have their claims against the government heard throughout the court system.
A director of Australia's National Justice Project, lawyer George Newhouse, says it's a significant blow for Australia's Minister for Home Affairs, Peter Dutton.
Mr Newhouse says Mr Dutton had attempted to slow the course of justice for detainees on Nauru and in Papua New Guinea by saying their cases could only be heard by the High Court.
The minister claimed a section of the Migration Act prevented claims against the government from those held in custody.
The High Court last week disagreed.
George Newhouse spoke with Dominic Godfrey about the landmark case and what it means for those held in detention.
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People hold up placards during a pro-refugee rights protest in Melbourne on June 13, 2020 as several asylum seekers who were evacuated for medical reasons from offshore detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island, look down from the hotel where they have been detained. Photo: AFP / William West