Refugee Council of Australia

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.
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Other reports on detention

Factsheets & resources on detention

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.