Freedom of information documents revealed that Australian authorities are not properly tracking the numbers of people seeking asylum at Australian airports and therefore the number of people claiming protection at Australia’s borders over the past years is unknown. This revelation also raises questions about the proper process for further assessment that should be triggered if a person is claiming protection.
The Australian Federal Police halted an investigation into the controversial leaking of classified information regarding the medevac legislation. The claimed reasoning behind this decision was that the number of potential suspects was too large. However, it is understood that a total of only 11 senior departmental officials and ministers had access to the documents prior to its leaking to the media.
A mural at Sydney’s Bondi Beach depicting a line of 24 Australian Border Force officers along with the phrase ‘not… welcome to Bondi’ received a mixed response. The Artist, Luke Cornish, made the piece to raise awareness of the treatment of asylum seekers in Australia’s onshore and offshore detention facilities, stating that ‘the 24 officers is symbolic of the 24 suicides in Australian detention facilities since 2010’.
Over 1000 people rallied in front of Parliament House in Canberra, calling on the government to end temporary protection visas. The protestors, many of whom held temporary visas, spoke out against the processing limbo and strict conditions they have endured, in particular the harsh travel restrictions and denial of family reunification.