Refine results
-
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
12 December 2024Opinion pieceWomen in immigration detention are trapped in a system designed for men. Many have not hugged a family member in years
In an opinion piece published in The Guardian, Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay Commissioner Finlay describes the harrowing experiences faced by many women in immigration detention and calls for urgent reform to address these human rights failures. It follows the release of the AHRC report into the issue. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
2 July 2020Opinion piece
Blanket bans would be unacceptable
During lockdown, many of us – myself included – have become even more reliant on our mobile phones. They have kept us in contact with parents, children and grandchildren, our colleagues and friends during this difficult time. When my two-year old first saw his grandmother on a smartphone, he squealed with delight. It wasn’t quite the same as being together — he pawed at the screen to try to… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
4 April 2023Publication
Australia’s international obligations
Australia is obliged under international law to protect the human rights of all asylum seekers and refugees, regardless of how or where they arrive. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
7 December 2023Opinion piece
Hasty detainee laws raise human rights concerns
Lorraine Finlay, Human Rights Commissioner As we approach international Human Rights Day on 10 December – which this year marks the 75th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights – the ongoing fallout from the NZYQ High Court decision continues to highlight both the importance and complexity of promoting and protecting human rights. The passing of the Migration Amendment (Bridging… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
5 May 2021Media Release
Media Statement: Federal Court improves pathways to protection for more than a thousand asylum seekers taken to Ashmore reef
More than 1,000 asylum seekers have a greater ability to apply for protection in Australia following a landmark judgment by the Federal Court on Tuesday. “When a person seeks asylum in Australia, it’s vital that their application be processed quickly, fairly and transparently. This judgment will remove administrative barriers for a vulnerable group of people who have been waiting too long to… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
9 October 2019Media Release
Court finds asylum seekers entitled to fair process
Up to 71 asylum seekers who missed out on making an application for a protection visa were still entitled to a fair assessment of their claims the Full Federal Court has held. The Court accepted submissions from the Australian Human Rights Commission that an internal process established by the Department of Home Affairs should have provided them with procedural fairness. As a result of the … -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
26 July 2019Media Release
Transferring asylum seeker families to Nauru – human rights report
The practice of sending to Nauru families with young children who arrived in Australia seeking asylum is the subject of an inquiry report by the Australian Human Rights Commission tabled in Parliament today. [1] Mr Richard Lancaster SC, as delegate of the President, found that the regional processing centre on Nauru was not an appropriate place to send families with young children… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
14 December 2012Book page
HREOC Report No. 17
This is a Report of the findings and reasons for findings made by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (the Commission) following an inquiry conducted by the Commission. The inquiry related to a complaint by the Asylum Seekers Centre (the Centre) against the Commonwealth of Australia (the Commonwealth), Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (the Department). -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
15 June 2021Publication
Management of COVID-19 risks in immigration detention (2021)
Learn how COVID-19 is a threat to people held in immigration detention, as the virus can spread quickly in enclosed, confined spaces such as detention -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
23 October 2019Publication
Use of force in immigration detention
The issue of the use of force in immigration detention has been raised in a range of complaints against the Department of Home Affairs received by the Commission. This report deals thematically with 14 complaints. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
23 February 2014Opinion piece
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…