The High Court has firmly and justifiably wrapped the Government over the knuckles for its shabby treatment of boat people held in detention. The treatment was shabby because the Government passed a law two days before the Federal Court was to resume hearing a case in which 37 Cambodians sought release from custody after up to two years in custody. The law attempted to prevent the court from hearing the case.
The calamity was the Government’s own making. Successive Governments have been caught in a dilemma. If they create rigid rules and apply them strictly they are accused of heartless inflexibility. If they allow more discretion they are accused of favouritism and permitting uncertainty. In the past 10 years, the Government has had disadvantage of both horns of the dilemma as its policy jumped from one to the other and then back, largely attempting to please ethnic lobbies on one hand and economic and union concerns on the other.
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