The Refugee Council of Australia finds it unsurprising that the High Court found that electronic ankle monitoring of people who have served their sentences is unconstitutional. Once again, rushed and punitive provisions...
Detention of people seeking asylum in Australia
In Australia, anyone who does not have a valid visa is required to be detained. This means that people seeking asylum are generally detained, often for long and uncertain periods. There is no independent review of the decision to detain, and people have been detained for increasingly long periods. The detention of people seeking asylum under this regime is one of the harshest in the world, and causes terrible suffering. You can also find more information by type here.Latest
Refugee Council calls for Parliamentary Inquiry into allegations of corruption and mismanagement in Offshore Processing
10 November 2025 The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) is calling for a Parliamentary Inquiry into serious allegations surrounding the management of offshore detention and reception centres in Nauru. The call follows...
Our work
Refugee Council welcomes High Court ruling on punitive conditions for detention release
The Refugee Council of Australia has welcomed today’s High Court decision which found that the Australian Government did not have the authority to impose curfews or electronic tracking devices on people released from...
Other reports on detention
Factsheets & resources on detention
I have a bridging visa
This page gives people with bridging visas information about what they can or must do on this visa.
I am in immigration detention
These factsheets on immigration detention tell you what you can do if you are in immigration detention in Australia and how you can get help.
My visa is being cancelled
This information is for people whose visas may be cancelled under section 116 or section 501, and for criminal lawyers.
Visa cancellations cases
This database shows cases since the introduction of the legislation in December 2014 expanding the cancellations of visas. It was developed in collaboration with a Visa Cancellations Working Group, of which the Refugee...
When Mary Met Mohammad
This film follows the arrival of Tasmania’s first detention centre through the eyes of local Christian woman and knitting club member Mary and Muslim Afghan Hazara asylum seeker Mohammad.
