Commonwealth v The State of Tasmania | |
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Court | High Court of Australia Canberra |
Full case name | The Commonwealth of Australia v State of Tasmania |
Decided | 1 July 1983 |
Citations | [1983] HCA 21, (1983) 158 CLR 1 |
Case history | |
Prior action | none |
Subsequent action | none |
Court membership | |
Judges sitting | Gibbs CJ, Mason, Murphy, Wilson, Brennan, Deane & Dawson JJ |
Case opinions | |
(4:3) the Commonwealth validly prohibited construction of the dam, by virtue of the World Heritage Act (per Mason, Murphy, Brennan & Deane JJ) (4:0) any Constitutional restriction preventing the Commonwealth from inhibiting the functions of the States did not apply (per Mason, Murphy, Brennan & Deane JJ) |
Commonwealth v Tasmania (popularly known as the Tasmanian Dam Case)[1] was a significant Australian court case, decided in the High Court of Australia on 1 July 1983. The case was a landmark decision in Australian constitutional law, and was a significant moment in the history of conservation in Australia. The case centred on the proposed construction of a hydro-electric dam on the Gordon River in Tasmania, which was supported by the Tasmanian government, but opposed by the Australian federal government and environmental groups.