Knowledge (XXG)

Polyukhovich v Commonwealth

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In relation to Polyukhovich's contention that the Act purported to usurp the judicial power of the Chapter III courts, the court held by a majority of 4 to 2 (Brennan J not deciding) that the statute did not invalidly usurp the judicial power of the Commonwealth. While the majority all accepted that
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By a majority of 6 to 1 (Brennan J dissenting) the court held that the Act was a valid exercise of the external affairs power. The six majority judges all wrote separate opinions. Mason CJ, Deane, Dawson, Gaudron & McHugh JJ were all of the opinion that as the subject matter of the legislation
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Polyukhovich's lawyers argued that the law was beyond the scope of Commonwealth legislative power in section 51(vi) (defence) and section 51(xxix) (external affairs) of the Constitution. He further argued that the attempt to make past criminal conduct an offence was an invalid attempt to usurp the
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Toohey J, however, considered that it was not sufficient that the Act dealt with matters outside Australia. In his opinion, the subject matter had to 'touch and concern' Australia, In the event, he found that there was a sufficient connection between the subject matter of the Act and Australia to
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In dissent, Brennan J suggested that there must be a nexus between Australia and the 'external affair' involved. He held that, because the subject of war crimes in World War II was not an external affair at the time, i.e., 1939 to 1945, the subsequent acquisition of citizenship or residence in
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was external to Australia then the law was a valid one under the external affairs power. Mason CJ also said that if the Parliament considered that Australia had an interest or concern it was not for the court to examine whether there was a relevant interest or concern.
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judicial power of the Commonwealth, that power being vested by the Constitution in Chapter III courts, by enacting what was effectively a
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had been charged under the Act with war crimes, alleged to have been committed between September 1942 and May 1943 in
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provided that any person who committed a war crime between 1 September 1939 and 8 May 1945 was guilty of an
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Australia by an individual was not enough to transform the subject matter into an external affair.
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law of the kind under consideration was not a usurpation of judicial power.
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The statute did not invalidly usurp the judicial power of the Commonwealth.
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did not automatically make the law a bill of attainder. In addition, an
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Blackshield and Williams Australian Constitutional Law and Theory
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Blackshield, Anthony; Williams, George; Brennan, Sean (2014).
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External affairs power in the Australian Constitution cases
153:(Cth) was valid as a law with respect to external affairs. 52:
Polyukhovich v The Commonwealth of Australia and Another
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regarding the scope of the external affairs power in
140: 105: 100: 92: 81: 76: 65: 57: 47: 37: 23: 266:a bill of attainder would offend the Commonwealth 86:Polyukhovich v The Commonwealth (1990) 95 ALR 502 8: 363:Rights in the Australian Constitution cases 29: 20: 223:while it was under German occupation in 184:, was a significant case decided in the 16:Judgement of the High Court of Australia 253:allow the law under section 51(xxix). 328:List of High Court of Australia cases 7: 190:section 51(xxix) of the Constitution 14: 178:501, commonly referred to as the 270:, the fact that a law operated 171:Polyukhovich v The Commonwealth 217:Ivan Timofeyevich Polyukhovich 192:and the judicial power of the 1: 358:Australian constitutional law 343:High Court of Australia cases 24:Polyukhovich v Commonwealth 389: 145: 28: 186:High Court of Australia 42:High Court of Australia 373:Ex post facto case law 348:1991 in Australian law 244:External affairs power 316:Text of the decision 268:separation of powers 207:War Crimes Act 1945 181:War Crimes Act Case 174:HCA 32; (1991) 172 151:War Crimes Act 1945 88:– injunction action 213:indictable offence 70:(1991) 172 CLR 501 301:978-1-86287-918-8 233:bill of attainder 167: 166: 163: 156: 149:Section 9 of the 93:Subsequent action 380: 353:1992 in case law 305: 161: 154: 101:Court membership 33: 21: 388: 387: 383: 382: 381: 379: 378: 377: 333: 332: 324: 312: 302: 289: 286: 263: 246: 241: 202: 17: 12: 11: 5: 386: 384: 376: 375: 370: 365: 360: 355: 350: 345: 335: 334: 331: 330: 323: 320: 319: 318: 311: 310:External links 308: 307: 306: 300: 285: 282: 262: 261:Judicial power 259: 245: 242: 240: 237: 201: 198: 165: 164: 143: 142: 138: 137: 107: 106:Judges sitting 103: 102: 98: 97: 94: 90: 89: 83: 79: 78: 74: 73: 67: 63: 62: 61:14 August 1992 59: 55: 54: 49: 48:Full case name 45: 44: 39: 35: 34: 26: 25: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 385: 374: 371: 369: 366: 364: 361: 359: 356: 354: 351: 349: 346: 344: 341: 340: 338: 329: 326: 325: 321: 317: 314: 313: 309: 303: 297: 293: 288: 287: 283: 281: 279: 278:ex post facto 275: 274: 273:ex post facto 269: 260: 258: 254: 250: 243: 238: 236: 234: 228: 226: 222: 218: 214: 210: 208: 199: 197: 195: 191: 187: 183: 182: 177: 173: 172: 159: 152: 148: 144: 141:Case opinions 139: 135: 131: 127: 123: 119: 115: 111: 108: 104: 99: 95: 91: 87: 84: 80: 75: 71: 68: 64: 60: 56: 53: 50: 46: 43: 40: 36: 32: 27: 22: 19: 291: 277: 271: 264: 255: 251: 247: 229: 225:World War II 206: 203: 194:Commonwealth 180: 179: 170: 169: 168: 157: 150: 146: 85: 82:Prior action 77:Case history 51: 18: 337:Categories 284:References 200:Background 72:, HCA 32 66:Citations 322:See also 239:Decision 221:Ukraine 130:Gaudron 114:Brennan 58:Decided 298:  134:McHugh 132:& 126:Toohey 122:Dawson 209:(Cth) 158:(4:2) 147:(6:1) 118:Deane 110:Mason 38:Court 296:ISBN 204:The 112:CJ, 96:none 176:CLR 339:: 235:. 227:. 215:. 196:. 136:JJ 128:, 124:, 120:, 116:, 304:.

Index


High Court of Australia
(1991) 172 CLR 501
Mason
Brennan
Deane
Dawson
Toohey
Gaudron
McHugh
CLR
High Court of Australia
section 51(xxix) of the Constitution
Commonwealth
War Crimes Act 1945 (Cth)
indictable offence
Ivan Timofeyevich Polyukhovich
Ukraine
World War II
bill of attainder
separation of powers
ex post facto
ISBN
978-1-86287-918-8
Text of the decision
List of High Court of Australia cases
Categories
High Court of Australia cases
1991 in Australian law
1992 in case law

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