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Asylum Seekers and Refugees

Handout for hearing: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014

Wednesday 9 July, 2014

Key Statistics:

  • 983 children in immigration detention: 775 children are held in locked immigration detention facilities in Australian territories and 208 children are held in detention in Nauru (as at 31 May 2014)
  • 304 children are detained on Christmas Island as at 31 March 2014 and are subject to offshore transfer to Nauru as prescribed by Australian Government policy
  • 54 unaccompanied children are held in immigration detention facilities in Australia (as at 31 March 2014)

Submissions made to the inquiry

Thursday 12 June, 2014

Please note: In accordance with the terms of the submissions process, the inquiry has:

  • not listed below or published any confidential submissions; and
  • in some cases, edited or not published (where an edited copy could not reasonably be published) the non-confidential submissions, in order to protect the identity of the authors, third parties, or where otherwise appropriate.

The Commission notes that the submissions listed below may contain errors. The submissions do not represent the views of the Commission.

Transcripts from the inquiry's public hearings

Wednesday 11 June, 2014

Public Hearing in Sydney, Tuesday, 9 September 2014

 The fifth public hearing of the inquiry was held at the Australian Human Rights Commission on Tuesday, 9th September.

The witness for this hearing was the Hon Chris Bowen MP, who was the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship from September 2010 until February 2013.

We can't 'outsource' our moral obligations to these people

Events on Manus Island have graphically and tragically brought to the attention of the Australian public the inappropriateness of the current arrangements for the regional processing of asylum seekers.

I have been troubled by the loss of life and the injury that has occurred on Manus Island over this past week, even as we wait for further information about what exactly has occurred. I am also disturbed that this is not the first such incident in immigration detention facilities.

Judicial review of lawfulness of detention (2013)

Summary

The Australian Human Rights Commission provides this response to the questionnaire from the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in relation to judicial review of the lawfulness of detention.

The Australian Human Rights Commission provides this response to the questionnaire from the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in relation to judicial review of the lawfulness of detention.

National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014: Discussion Paper

Date

Why are we holding this inquiry?

The purpose of this inquiry is to investigate the ways in which life in immigration detention affects the health, well-being and development of children. The inquiry will assess the impact on children by seeking the views of people who were previously detained as children in closed immigration detention and by assessing the current circumstances and responses of children to immigration detention.

Information about children in immigration detention

Friday 31 January, 2014

Learn about the impact of mandatory immigration detention on children in regard to Australia's obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014

Thursday 30 January, 2014

 

Asylum seekers and refugees guide

Friday 10 January, 2014

Learn everything about refugee and asylum seeker issues, such as immigration detention, legal rights, protection visas and enhanced screening.

Those who've come across the seas: Detention of unauthorised arrivals

Date

HREOC’s report, tabled in federal Parliament on 12 May 1998, deals with the policy of mandatory detention of most unauthorised arrivals and the conditions of detention for those detained. The report had its origins in the many complaints received by HREOC from, or on behalf of, people in immigration detention centres.