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Asylum Seekers and Refugees
17 July 2015PublicationSummary factsheet - The Forgotten Children: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014
The Forgotten Children: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014 Summary factsheet July 2015 What was the Inquiry about? On 3 February 2014 the President of the Commission announced a national inquiry into children in immigration detention. The purpose of the Inquiry was to investigate the ways in which life in immigration detention affects the health, well-being and -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
16 June 2015Publication
Tell Me About: Children in immigration detention in Nauru
On 13 August 2012 the Australian Government reintroduced a system of third country processing for asylum seekers who arrive by boat without a valid visa. Under this system these asylum seekers, including children, must be transferred to a third country as soon as is reasonably practicable, unless the Minister for Immigration decides to exclude them from transfer. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
16 June 2015Publication
Children in immigration detention: statements by the United Nations
Learn how the United Nations states that children do not belong in immigration detention and that under international law, states should not detain them. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
16 June 2015Publication
Children in immigration detention: statements by health professional organisations
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Asylum Seekers and Refugees
10 April 2015Opinion piece
The Government, the High Court and the Migration Act
Read an opinion piece about the High Court finding the government in breach of the Migration Act for refusing to grant a protection visa to a refugee. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
24 November 2014Publication
National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention (2014)
Australia currently holds about 800 children in mandatory closed immigration detention for indefinite periods, with no pathway to protection or settlement. This includes 186 children detained on Nauru. Children and their families have been held on the mainland and on Christmas Island for, on average, one year and two months. Over 167 babies have been born in detention within the last 24 months… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
10 October 2014Opinion piece
Magna Carta shelters asylum-seekers
NEXT year is the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, signed reluctantly by King John at the demand of his rebellious barons in 1215. Buried in the middle of this foundational document of English constitutional law — setting out the single measure for wine and ale and the rights of widows on the death of their husband — are these words: “No freeman is to be taken or imprisoned or disseised… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
8 October 2014Opinion piece
Keeping asylum seeker children in detention doesn't stop people smugglers - so why do it?
The former and current ministers for immigration and border security, Chris Bowen and Scott Morrison, agree on one thing: that asylum seeker children are not detained to deter people smuggling. Rather, it appears that patrol boats and naval frigates, commanded by a three star general, and a refusal to allow refugees to settle here, have reduced the number of boats reaching Australia. Why… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
3 September 2014Webpage
Expert reports from visits to immigration detention centres
The Commission visited various immigration detention centres as part of the Inquiry. The Commission was accompanied by various independent consultants including paediatricians and child psychiatrists. The following are some of the reports prepared by these consultants after their visits to immigration detention centres. These expert reports do not represent the views of the Commission. Visit… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
7 August 2014Opinion piece
Detention shame: children, mothers self-harming
By Gillian Triggs Posted 24 Jul 2014, 3:48pm Photo: A drawing by a child in the Christmas Island detention centre in 2014. (Supplied: Australian Human Rights Commission)Asylum seeker children and their families in detention on Christmas Island are plagued by despair and helplessness - and the situation is only deteriorating, writes Gillian Triggs. A team from the Australian Human Rights… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
5 August 2014Webpage
Commission’s previous work on children in immigration detention
The Commission has long held serious concerns about the impact of Australia’s mandatory immigration detention system, particularly on children. In 1999-2000 the numbers of children in detention began to significantly increase. In November 2001, when there were over 700 children in detention, Human Rights Commissioner Dr Sev Ozdowski announced an inquiry into children in immigration detention… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
9 July 2014Webpage
Handout for hearing: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 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… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
12 June 2014Webpage
Submissions made to the inquiry
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… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
11 June 2014Webpage
Transcripts from the inquiry's public hearings
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. Members of the public were able to attend at the Australian Human Rights … -
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… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
2 February 2014Publication
National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014: Discussion Paper
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… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
31 January 2014Webpage
Information about children in immigration detention
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. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
30 January 2014Webpage
National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention 2014
Learn about the 2014 inquiry into children in immigration detention. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
10 January 2014Webpage
Asylum seekers and refugees guide
Discover a guide on the rights of asylum seekers and refugees. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
9 January 2014Publication
Those who've come across the seas: Detention of unauthorised arrivals
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.