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Asylum Seekers and Refugees
14 July 2025SubmissionExternalisation of Migration and the Impact on the Human Rights of Migrants
The Australian Human Rights Commission has made a formal submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, contributing to his forthcoming report to the UN General Assembly on the externalisation of migration and its impact on migrant rights. This submission outlines the Commission’s concerns regarding Australia’s externalisation policies, including… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
12 December 2024Opinion piece
Women 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
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
2 December 2020Publication
Inspections of Australia's immigration detention facilities 2019 Report
Human Rights Commissioner’s foreword For several decades, the Australian Human Rights Commission has expressed deep and longstanding concern about the human rights of people held in Australia’s immigration detention facilities. As a result of our most recent inspection process, that concern has deepened. Some of the issues of greatest concern to the Commission are as follows. A number of… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
15 June 2021Media Release
Commission urges immediate action on COVID-19 risk to people in immigration detention
The Australian Government must act urgently to reduce the number of people in closed immigration detention in response to the ongoing risks posed by COVID-19, according to a new report by the Australian Human Rights Commission. Management of COVID-19 risks in immigration detention recommends new safety measures be introduced to protect people in immigration detention, and the wider community… -
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
21 January 2019Publication
Australian Human Rights Commission Inspection of Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation: Report (2018)
This report contains an overview of key observations and concerns arising from the Australian Human Rights Commission’s inspection of the Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation (BITA) facility in September 2017. -
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
31 July 2018Publication
Australian Human Rights Commission Inspection of Perth Immigration Detention Centre: Report (2018)
This report contains an overview of key observations and concerns arising from the Australian Human Rights Commission’s inspection of the Perth Immigration Detention Centre (PIDC) in August 2017. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
9 July 2013Webpage
Refugees with adverse security assessments page
back to immigration detention, asylum seekers and refugees The Commission has serious concerns about the situation for people who have been found to be refugees, but who have received adverse security assessments from the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). For information about refugees with adverse security assessments, see the Commission’s fact sheet: Tell Me About …