The Australian Government has recently announced changes that will leave potentially hundreds of people transferred from Nauru or Manus Island without any financial support or housing. You can help by…
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The usual way of seeking protection is to come to a country and ask for protection. This is commonly called ‘seeking asylum’, and people who come this way are often called ‘asylum seekers’. This generally means that they have not yet had their claims to be a refugee formally determined.
In Australia, ‘seeking asylum’ is often seen as being the ‘wrong’ way to come, and the ‘right’ way is to wait in a queue and be selected by UNHCR for resettlement. In fact, seeking asylum is the way most people get protection in the world, and is the way that is protected by the Refugee Convention.
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Raising concerns about Australian refugee policy to UNHCR 2017
A core part of the work of the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) is raising concerns about Australian refugee policy. On 21 June 2016, we talked to UNHCR’s Division of International Protection about these issues as part of their consultations with NGOs in Geneva.
read moreThe Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants reports on Australia
The visit The Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau, visited Australia and the regional processing centres in Nauru from 1 to 18 November 2016. Consultations were…
Playing God: The Immigration Minister’s unrestrained power
This report highlights the unrestrained power of the Minister for Immigration. The report is an examination of the expanding powers found within three key pieces of the Australian legislation that affect people seeking asylum. These are: the Migration Act, the ASIO Act and the Maritime Powers Act.
read moreSpotlight on Australia’s cruel asylum policy at the Human Rights Council
On 9 June 2017, the Global Human Rights Group, Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) co-hosted a side event during the 35th meeting of the Human Rights Council.
read moreAbuse, self-harm and neglect on Manus and Nauru: Senate Inquiry Report 2017
The Australian Senate has conducted an inquiry into 'serious allegations of abuse, self-harm and neglect' of people seeking asylum at Nauru and Manus regional processing centres (RPCs). The Senate inquiry…
Expanding support for alternatives to detention for children in Asia Pacific
The Refugee Council of Australia's Project Officer Michelle Ferns joined the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) and the International Detention Coalition (IDC) last week in pushing the case for New Zealand to lobby support for the expansion of alternatives to immigration detention of children in the Asia Pacific.
read moreIdentifying and addressing vulnerability: a new tool
UNHCR and the International Detention Coalition have produced the Vulnerability Screening Tool, a resource designed to identify situations of vulnerability in the context of asylum and migration procedures and systems.
read moreCancelling visas on ‘character’ grounds: The Ombudsman reports
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has published a report investigating the administration of the process of visa cancellations as a result of the Migration Amendment (Character and General Visa Cancellation) Act passed in 2014. The change in the law required the Minister to cancel visas automatically in certain circumstances.
read moreCancelling bridging visas because of criminal charges: the Ombudsman’s damning report
The Ombudsman has published a damning report on the cancellation of bridging visas on criminal charges. The report reveals that the practice is fundamentally at odds with the presumption of innocence, and that the Department's mismanagement leads to prolonged and indefinite detention.
read moreUnauthorised $2.2bn spent on offshore detention centres: flaws in the immigration department
The Australian government’s independent auditor has delivered a scathing review condemning the Department of Immigration and Border Protection for spending an unauthorised $2.2bn on its offshore detention programs.
read moreHuman Rights Watch condemns Australian detention policy: 2017 Report
The 27th annual Human Rights Watch Global Report highlights the violence, depression and hopelessness experienced by refugees and people seeking asylum on Manus Island and Nauru.
read moreKaldor Centre report: ‘Where to from here’ for regional refugee protection?
With global displacement at record levels, a real public debate on refugee protection is sorely needed. Motivated to explore concrete, principled strategies for refugee policy and practices in Australia and the wider region, the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law convened a two-day Expert Roundtable at the University of New South Wales.
read moreWhat we learnt from Senate estimates – and what we didn’t
What are Senate estimates? The Australian government include estimates of what it expects to spend in the legislation that funds the government’s work (known as the ‘appropriation bills’). This usually…
Visitors’ access to people in detention
In recent months, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has increasingly heard from these visitors that security conditions in immigration detention facilities are being ratcheted up and it is now more difficult to visit people in immigration detention. Correspondingly, people in immigration detention are increasingly isolated from the wider community, negatively impacting their mental and physical wellbeing. As a result, we have started a national study to explore those concerns further. The focus of this research is on access to people in onshore immigration detention facilities.
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