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Is Genocide a Crime Unknown to Australian Law? Nulyarimma v. Thompson1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2009

Andrew D. Mitchell
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Extract

While it is clear that international treaties become part of Australian domestic law only once implemented by domestic legislation, it is less certain whether implementing legislation is required to incorporate customary international law into Australian law. This question is assuming a new importance as international law moves beyond dealing simply with relationships between sovereign nations to protecting the human rights of groups and individuals within states. Since the arrival of Europeans, indigenous Australians have witnessed enormous violations of their human rights. In Nulyarimma v. Thompson, members of the Aboriginal community alleged that certain Commonwealth Ministers and Members of Parliament had committed genocide, and sought various remedies. Since Australia has not implemented the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide by legislation, the case squarely raised the issue of whether customary international law, and in particular international criminal law, could become part of Australian law without the assistance of Parliament.

Type
Current Developments
Information
Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law , Volume 3 , December 2000 , pp. 362 - 383
Copyright
Copyright © T.M.C. Asser Instituut and the Authors 2000

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References

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50. Ibid., at p. 668.

51. Ibid., at pp. 662–663.

52. (1876) 2 Ex D p. 63.

53. [1939] AC p. 160.

54. Supra n. 4, at p. 656.

55. [1934] AC pp. 586, 589.

56. Supra n. 4, at p. 656.

57. Ibid., at p. 637.

58. Ibid., at p. 652.

59. Ibid.

60. Ibid., at pp. 656–657.

61. Ibid., at p. 658, referring to Polyukhovich v. Commonwealth (1991) 172 CLR pp. 501, 576 (Brennan J).

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65. Ibid., p. 177.

66. Ibid., pp. 177–178.

67. Ibid.

68. Ibid.

69. Supra n. 4, at pp. 635–637.

70. (1962) ILR p.277.

71. (1999) All ER pp. 97, 175–178.

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99. Supra n. 4, at p. 666.

100. Ibid., p. 667.

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108. Ibid., p. 662.

109. Ibid., p. 663.

110. Ibid., citing Polites v. Commonwealth 70 (1945) CLR pp. 60, 68–69 (Latham CJ), 77 (Dixon J), pp. 79, 81 (Williams J).

111. Supra n. 4, at pp. 637–638.

112. Ibid., p. 638.

113. See discussion of the intent requirement at A. Mitchell, loc. cit. n. 2, at nn. 11–15 and accompanying text.

114. Supra n. 4, at pp. 626–627.

115. Ibid., p. 638.

116. Ibid., p. 670.

117. Re Thompson; Ex parte Nitlyarimma (1998) 136 ACTR pp. 9, 32–33Google Scholar.

118. Ibid., p. 33.

119. Supra n. 4, at p. 671.

120. Ibid.

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122. Ibid., p. 672.

123. Ibid.

124. Ibid., at p. 638.

125. Ibid., pp. 669–671 (parliamentary privilege), 676–678 (World Heritage Convention, supra n. 17, as a source of law).

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128. Nulyarimma v. Thompson C18/1999 (Unreported, High Court of Australia, Gummow, Kirby and Hayne JJ, 4 August 2000).

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130. Anti-Genocide Bill 1999 (Cth); Second reading speech: Commonwealth, Parliamentary Debates, Senate, 13 October 1999, p. 9612 (Brian Greig); Senator Brian Greig, Anti-Genocide Bill Gets the Go-Ahead, Press Release, No. 99/546 (14 October 1999).

131. Ibid., Sch. 1 contains amendments to the Genocide Convention Act 1949 (Cth).

132. Ibid., Sch. 1 cl. 2. In this paragraph, underlining indicates words that have been added to the Genocide Convention definition and strike-through indicates words that have been deleted from that definition.

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136. Statute of the ICTY, Art. 8.

137. Statute of the ICTR, Art. 7.

138. Commonwealth, Journals of the Senate, No. 79 (14 10 1999) p. 1890Google Scholar.

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142. Commonwealth, Parliamentary Debates, Senate, 6 December 2000, 20898 (Ian Campbell).

143. Ibid. See also, Department of Foreign Affairs of Trade, National Interest Analysis: Statute of the International Criminal Court, done at Rome on 17 July 1998 (Canberra, Australian Government Publishing Service), http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/dfat/nia/2000/2000024n.html.

144. Commonwealth, Parliamentary Debates, House of Representatives, 30 06 1949, 1875–1876 (Leslie Haylen)Google Scholar.

145. Transcript of Proceedings, Nulyarimma v. Thompson (Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia, Wilcox, Whitlam and Merkel JJ, commencing 31 May 1999) 106 (‘Appeal’) (Julian Burnside QC).

146. Supra n. 5, Art. I.

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149. Ibid., pp. 62–63.

150. Ibid.

151. Ibid., p. 64.

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154. Ibid.

155. Williams, op. cit. n. 127, at p. 15.

156. Ibid., p. 16, citing British Railways Board v. Pickin [1974] AC 765,782; Building Construction Employees & Builders’ Labourers Federation of NSW v. Minister for Industrial Relations (1986) 7 NSWLR 372, 405 (Kirby, P)Google Scholar. Cf., Dr Bonham's Case (1610) 8 Co Rep 107a, 118aGoogle Scholar; 77 ER 638, 652 (Coke CJ):

‘And it appears in our books, that in many cases, the common law will controul Acts of Parliament, and sometimes adjudge them to be utterly void: for when an Act of Parliament is against common right and reason, or repugnant, or impossible to be performed, the common law will controul it, and adjudge such Act to be void…’

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157. An English translation of Art. 25 of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany is reproduced in Currie, D., The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany (Chicago, University of Chicago Press 1994) p. 354Google Scholar. Article 25 of the Grundgesetz provides: ‘Die allgemeinen Regeln des Völkerrechts sind Bestandteil des Bundesrechtes. Sie gehen den Gestzen vor und erzeugen Rechte und Pflichten unmittelbar für die Bewohner des Bundesgebietes.’

158. Transcript of Proceedings, Nulyarimma v. Thompson (Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia, Wilcox, Whitlam and Merkel JJ, commencing 31 May 1999) 41 (‘Appeal’) (Julian Burnside QC).