In the media
Courts
Minister Dutton was again warned he risked contempt of court charges when his office notified the federal court that he had been unavailable to make a decision on a person’s asylum claim. The Minister avoided the charges at late notice by rejecting the asylum claim.
Detention
The cost of Australia’s detention contract with Serco (the company that manages Australia’s immigration detention) was confirmed as $2.5 billion. The amount was provided at a Senate Estimates hearing where it was also revealed that 22 Serco staff have been investigated for allegedly bringing contraband into detention centres.
19 July 2020 marked the seventh anniversary of the reinstatement of offshore processing. The milestone was commemorated in a number of ways. A man detained in Melbourne released a musical tribute to the Australian woman who has supported him throughout his ordeal. In Brisbane protestors held a rally outside the detention hotel and stated that they would blockade the Story Bridge if people are not released. A woman was charged with trespass after she tried to visit a refugee in hospital in Brisbane. Various profile pieces were published on the impact the protracted state of limbo has had on people.
An interpreter who worked for the US forces in Afghanistan faces indefinite detention in Australia. He had been living in Australia on a bridging visa without work rights and committed a robbery, for which he received a suspended sentence in 2016. He has been in immigration detention since.
Priya Murugappan, the mother and wife of the Tamil family who remain detained on Christmas Island, was transferred to a Perth hospital for tests where she stayed for around 10 days. Her husband and children were refused permission to accompany her. Minister Dutton said that the family was gaming the system and that he wanted the situation to ‘…come to an end’. His comments were rebuked.
SBS News published an in-depth report into a two-year old child who has spent her entire life in detention in Melbourne.
COVID-19
A guard at the detention hotel in Melbourne tested positive for COVID-19. Men held at the hotel expressed fear, but the Department of Home Affairs confirmed that the guard had not been on-site in the lead up to the positive test. The facility underwent a deep clean. In Sydney, a number of guards who work at the Villawood detention centre were ordered to self-isolate after they had been to a pub at the centre of a COVID-19 cluster.
International
Behrouz Boochani was granted protection in New Zealand. He was notified of the decision exactly seven years since his arrival to Australia. The news was accompanied by an in-depth account of his adjustment to life in New Zealand.
For some months the media have covered the situation of Rohingya people stranded at sea due to pandemic-related border closures. Bangladesh refused to allow refugees to leave an island where they were taken after having been adrift at sea. Malaysia agreed to stop returning boats to the high seas, but many on board those boats have reportedly been imprisoned and caned for arriving without a valid permit. The caning order was subsequently overturned by an appeal court. The significant hardening of Malaysia’s treatment of Rohingya refugees was reportedly a result of changed domestic political dynamics.
In Syria, COVID-19 was confirmed to have reached Idlib where displaced Syrians live in overcrowded camps. In Italy, a ship carrying 180 people who had been rescued from their boats was given permission to dock in Sicily so that those on board could receive medical treatment and be quarantined under COVID-19 measures. In the English Channel, people were rescued and returned to France after their boat capsized. Norway announced LGBTIQ people will be prioritised under its refugee program.
The UNHCR raised concerns that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are also heightening risks of trafficking and exploitation for refugees, internally displaced and stateless people.
In policy
The Refugee Council of Australia released a report into Australia’s offshore detention system. The report compiles data obtained from Senate Estimates and under Freedom of Information to detail the facts about offshore detention over the past seven years.
Following China’s passing of new security laws pertaining to Hong Kong, the Australian government committed to offering safe haven to people whose safety was at risk. Instead of protection visas, the government announced that Hong Kongers in Australia could apply for a 4-year extension to their existing visa. Dozens of people in Australia had reportedly already requested safe haven.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman published its 6-monthly detention inspection report. The inspection did not include detention hotels (Alternative Places of Detention). The report details the COVID-19 risks in detention centres due to the facility layout, operations and the higher than usual number of people in detention as global travel restrictions have further complicated deportations.
The European Union was urged not to consider adopting elements of Australia’s offshore detention regime. The call came from a man who was formerly detained on Manus Island and is now a resident of Switzerland.
In research
The University of Auckland launched its new Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies, as a faculty research centre within the Faculty of Education and Social Work. The Centre will work to bring together academia, refugee communities, government, civil society and the private sector to work on current and future forced displacement situations.
The World Health Organisation commenced a global survey, ‘ApartTogether’ to support a global study to assess the public health social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on refugees and migrants. The survey closes on 31 August 2020.
In April 2020, Kaldor Centre’s Director Professor Jane McAdam contributed to development of 14 Principles of protection for migrants, refugees and other displaced people during COVID-19, alongside a number of experts globally. This month Professor McAdam presented on the Principles to better equip front line staff in Bangladesh to recognise protection needs and understand what rights Rohingya refugees have.
Tina Dixson writes on the lives of LGBTIQ+ people seeking asylum in Australia during COVID-19.