Category Resources

Australia has a shameful record on offshore processing of innocent asylum-seekers and refugees.

The approach, supported by both Coalition and Labor, has led to death in some cases and physical and psychological damage in many others.

Now other governments around the world are looking at adopting the “Australian model”.

We are providing a link here to an article that criticises the offshore detention policy and outlines its history … and its failings.

The article has been written by Madeline Gleeson, Senior Research Fellow at the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Sydney, and Natasha Yacoub, Visiting Research Fellow at the Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford Department of International Development, University of Oxford.

Read the article.

Refugee Action Collective (RAC) Victoria has made a submission to the parliamentary committee dealing with the Ending Indefinite and Arbitrary Immigration Detention Bill (2021).

The Bill was introduced by Independent MP Andrew Wilkie in 2021.

RAC (Vic) has strongly advocated for the dismantling of indefinite and arbitrary detention on the basis that it is punitive and in clear breach of human rights.

RAC (Vic) believes the Bill provides a framework for rectifying many of the abhorrent and cruel components of Australia’s current detention policies.

However, the Bill in its current form still allows for immigration detention, which we oppose. Therefore, we cannot support the Bill in full until amendments are made to delete the potential for any length of immigration detention.

Read our submission in full here.

Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge has made a number of dubious claims about the indefinite detention of refugees and asylum-seekers transferred to Australia for medical attention.

This new document looks at each of his claims and counters with the facts, all taken from Hansard and Government department publications.

The document was drawn up by Trudy Hairs, Area Coordinator for Melbourne’s Homestay Program (volunteer) and published with permission.

Read or download our fact sheet.