Russian president Vladimir Putin must think our legal system is wonderful.
His country can challenge a decision of the Albanese government in the High Court with the help of Australia’s best barrister and likely get millions in compensation (plus costs) after a 99-year lease for the site of its new embassy — only 300 metres from Parliament House — was terminated in 2023.
There is no way this happens in Russia. It even has a special court for constitutional issues, which became Putin’s puppet after amendments in 2020.
This is why Wednesday's decision should be celebrated. Not for the outcome, but for what it says about our system of government, with the courts acting as a check on the power of the legislature and the executive.
The court ruled 7-0 that the legislation used to terminate the lease — the Home Affairs Act 2023 — was valid, but said the Commonwealth had to pay just terms compensation to Russia under section 51(31) of the Constitution.
