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Russia has lost its legal challenge in Australia’s High Court over plans to build a new embassy less than a kilometre from Parliament House.
The Russian government had secured a 99-year lease in 2008, paying nearly AU$3 million ($2 million) for a site roughly 400 metres from the parliamentary precinct.
However, the lease was revoked in 2023 after Canberra passed a law blocking the construction, citing national security concerns.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at the time that the government had received “very clear security advice” from Australia’s spy agency about the risks posed by a new Russian presence so close to Parliament.
Moscow challenged the legislation, claiming it was unconstitutional.
On Wednesday, the High Court upheld the law, ruling it valid.
The court also determined, however, that the Australian government must compensate Russia for the lease.
Following the law’s passage in 2023, Russia briefly stalled the government’s attempts to reclaim the land when a Russian diplomat occupied a small security shed on the site.
The diplomat endured cold temperatures and passed time with television, snacks, and occasional cigarette breaks, but was evicted a few days later after a preliminary High Court ruling supported Australia’s eviction efforts.
