The High Court of Australia canceled Russia’s lease on land near the parliament. Russia should be adequately compensated for the cancellation of the lease, the court ruled.
Australia’s High Court ruled on Wednesday that the government can demand from Russia the return of land near Parliament in Canberra where Moscow planned to build a new embassy. However, according to the court, Moscow must be compensated for the cancellation of the lease, reports TASR based on AFP and DPA agencies.
In 2008, Russia leased a plot of land about 400 meters from the Parliament grounds in Canberra for almost three million Australian dollars for 99 years. After the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the Australian government feared that the new Russian embassy could be a security risk. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at the time that the government had received a “very clear security recommendation” from the intelligence agency regarding “the risk posed by a new Russian presence so close to Parliament.”
Therefore, in June 2023, the Parliament approved a special law, which canceled Russian rights to the land. The cancellation of the lease sparked a lawsuit in which lawyers representing Moscow argued that the law was unconstitutional. On Wednesday, the High Court upheld its validity and also ruled that the Australian government is obliged to pay Russia “reasonable compensation”. DPA explains that Moscow still has a presence in Australia at its existing premises in the Canberra suburb of Griffith.
