The government has failed in its attempt to ram unprecedented changes to the migration act through parliament. The laws, now being reviewed by a senate committee, could be disastrous.

The release of more than 140 ex-detainees from immigration detention has prompted a panicked government response. So, what does the legislation say, and what happens now?

This week, the High Court made an order which overturns the laws on which much of Australia’s immigration system is based. What happens to the law, and those most affected by it, now?