Monthly Wrap October 2023

In the media

Detention

An Iranian man, detained for over ten years, took his case to the High Court after the former Home Affairs Minister suddenly changed his status to get around a Federal Court order that he should be moved into the community. The complexity of his case was detailed in a CNN report.

Offshore detention regime

The AAT ruled that asylum seekers who suffered loss or damage from the 2014 Home Affairs data breach are eligible for compensation. Men who remain stuck in Papua New Guinea due to Australia’s offshore detention policy were issued eviction notices because their accommodation bills had not been paid for over a year.

Protest

Refugees, who were processed under the ‘fast track’ scheme and remain in legal limbo, protested outside Minister O’Neil’s electorate office.

International

Azerbaijan’s seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh caused 60km queues at the border, as ethnic Armenians fled their homeland. The UNHCR stated that more than $1 billion in aid is needed to assist Sudanese people fleeing the ongoing conflict in their country. The World Bank increased its funding to Chad to assist with the arrival of Sudanese refugees. The IOM declared the Mexico-USA border as the world’s deadliest land route for refugees and migrants. Lebanon’s interim PM complained that the significant increase in Syrians entering the country risks unsettling the demographics of Lebanon. Asylum applications in the EU increased 20% in the past year. Italy reacted to the increase by extending the permitted duration of detention for people awaiting deportation. The UK Home Secretary called for an update to the refugee convention to prevent, as she claims, a tendency for courts to interpret the risk of discrimination as being sufficient grounds for refugee protection.

In policy

The Guardian revealed that in 2020 the Auditor-General’s department warned Home Affairs that it had failed to meet the key principles of immigration detention; namely i) the speedy resolution of people’s cases and ii) prioritising community detention over locked detention. The UNSW Kaldor Centre published a policy brief on strengthening asylum systems.  A man who walked from Ballarat to Sydney to bring attention to the plight of asylum seekers who are denied work rights, was granted permanent residency by way of Ministerial intervention. The Saturday Paper published a piece on the role that Australian politicians played in the UK’s current refugee policies.

In research

A study found that 46% of refugee and migrant women in Australia had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace in the last 5 years. A social impact agency called Purpose published a study into the role of the media in online hate speech in Australia, in which the negative framing of refugees was one of their case studies. A review of European resettlement found that 16 EU member states had not resettled a single refugee this year. The UNSW Kaldor Centre released the program for its 2023 Conference on 20 November 2023.

New releases

The Disposables, a drama by the ABC 

When Migrants Fail to Stay. New Histories on Departures and Migration. An anthology edited by Balint, Damousi and Fitzpatrick. Published by Bloomsbury.

Monthly Wrap August 2023

In the media

Nauru and PNG

As Australians rallied in support of refugees on the ten year anniversary of the return to offshore processing, the 9 Media group revealed that Nauru detention contracts were awarded to a businessman who was under AFP investigation for corruption. ABC’s 7:30 ran a detailed overview of the issue and the Guardian raised concerns that Home Affairs may have misled the Senate. Parliamentary documents revealed that, in December 2021, Australia signed a confidential deal with Papua New Guinea whereby they would keep refugees there in exchange for funds. The current government refuses to release the details of the payments.  

Detention

A federal judge found that, despite the harsh conditions of hotel detention, it was not illegal.  Documents obtained under Freedom of Information showed 115 people were unlawfully detained in the last five years. A fire broke out at Villawood detention centre, forcing people to jump out their windows.

Protection Visas

Home Affairs data shows a doubling in the number of people who have claimed asylum after having arrived by plane in the last year. A person who has been on a temporary protection visa for 11 years, mostly without work rights, commenced a walk from Ballarat to Canberra to raise awareness of the plight of people in his situation.

International

Palestinians in a Jenin refugee camp lost their homes and cars from an aerial assault operation by the Israeli Defence Force amid the continued escalation in violence. The World Food Program announced a cut in food allowances to Syrian refugees in Jordan. The Hong Kong police announced bounties for the capture of eight democracy activists who fled the country, one of whom is Australian. Investigations into a deadly boat sinking in the Mediterranean suggest it may have been caused by Greek Coastguard attempts to tow the boat. The UK Parliament passed the Illegal Migration Bill, described as the country’s most extreme immigration legislation ever. Journalists in England toured a  barge that will house asylum seekers off their coast.

In policy

The government announced an additional $2.6million in funding will be allocated to settlement service providers.   

In research

Research found that detention more than doubles a person’s risk of PTSD. UNSW research concluded that securing temporary protection visas (labelled ‘medium security’) did not improve people’s mental wellbeing. The Melbourne Social Equity Institute’s annual conference on Migration, Refugees and Statelessness opened for registration. The UNSW Kaldor Centre advertised for two Visiting Fellowship positions, for people based in Sydney who have experienced displacement.

Monthly Wrap December 2022

In the media

Nauru and PNG

The first six people, under New Zealand’s resettlement scheme with Australia, arrived from Nauru. The Home Affairs Minister said that letters telling asylum seekers to leave Australia were sent in error. Her department disagreed.

Detention

Information provided to senate hearings and reported by the commonwealth Ombudsman revealed that, since 2018, around 170 places were designated as detention facilities, including 77 hotels. Eight asylum seekers were released after ten years in onshore immigration detention. Australian officials were questioned by the UN Committee Against Torture, at its November session. The former PM, Scott Morrison, secretly held the Home Affairs portfolio at the time that he told journalists that any decision about the Nadesalingam family was the responsibility of the relevant Minister.

Community

A Kurdish refugee captained Australia’s blind football team in their debut international tournament. Afghan refugees reflected on the experience of seeing their national cricket team compete at the MCG. Participants in a NSW bushwalking program shared how the program boosted their wellbeing.

United Nations

The UNHCR has called for refugees and displaced people to be given seats at COP28. It warned that Haiti is on the verge of collapse and urged countries not to forcibly return people there. Similarly it demanded countries not to forcibly return people to the Democratic Republic of Congo where ongoing violence has caused huge numbers of people to cross the border. The UNHCR appealed for more aid to support the more than 200,000 Burundian people who have returned home in the last five years. UNRWA warned that its ability to support Palestinian refugees has reached a crisis point. In the world’s most densely populated refugee camp, young people have led projects to improve the local environment.

International

The EU agreed a new migrant plan and is prepared for an increase in Ukrainian people seeking sanctuary over winter. Kenya’s move away from an encampment response to refugees has shown better self-reliance among refugees when they can choose where they stay and have work rights. First responders in Syria blamed Russia for deadly drone attacks on displaced persons camps. A whistleblower revealed that the UK Home Office is recruiting retail staff to conduct refugee interviews with little training and support. An asylum seeker sued the UK government over the condition of the reception centre where asylum seekers are accommodated on arrival. A person at the accommodation centre died in what is believed to be a case of diphtheria.

In policy

An Afghan man was invited to his citizenship ceremony, but then suddenly stripped of his permanent residency when the immigration department claimed that his original Afghan identity document was a fraud. The government announced that refugees on temporary protection visas would get more rights to travel overseas and those who came by boat before 19 July 2013, and have permanent residence, would no longer be the lowest priority when it came to family reunion applications. The government committed to prioritising protection applications from Myanmar nationals. A briefing document revealed that the former government was advised, in 2020, to develop an individualised risk assessment capability so that more people could be released from immigration detention. Additionally it revealed that the current government is considering electronic monitoring as an alternative to immigration detention. The Refugee Council of Australia published its annual report.

In research

Research by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute and Human Rights Law Centre confirmed that asylum seekers on bridging visas were at a higher risk of labour exploitation. The Melbourne Social Equity Institute published the papers that were presented at the 2022 Migration, Statelessness and Refugees Interdisciplinary Conference.

Monthly Wrap October 2022

In the media

Offshore detention

The controversial US prison operator, set to take over garrison operations on Nauru, will be paid $42 million for 52 days preparatory work. Meanwhile the existing contractor, Canstruct International, will continue to receive payment for the same period. People still held on Nauru said they have lost all hope of a life. Former guards at the Manus Island detention centre agreed to a multi-million dollar settlement offer from the Australian government for harm caused during their work there. Fourteen refugees have been interviewed under the New Zealand resettlement program.

Detention

The UN subcommittee on the prevention of torture has been urged to investigate Australia’s practice of handcuffing of immigration detainees during off-site medical appointments. People in immigration detention spoke out about the violence and drug use in facilities and their fear for their safety.

International

Thai fishermen rescued 10 Rohingya refugees who were adrift at sea for some time, and found a further 41 Rohingya people stranded on an island. The Sri Lankan Guardian detailed the reasons behind an increase in the number of Sri Lankan people risking boat journeys. An increasing number of Somali refugees, who lived most of their life in Dadaab refugee camp, have returned to Somalia to try to make a new life. The Dutch government initiated a plan to house more than 1,000 asylum seekers and migrants on ships in response to a worsening accommodation crisis. Britain’s new Home Office Secretary pledged to end boat crossings to the UK. Former Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, was appointed to a panel to provide oversight of the UK’s controversial Rwanda transfer program.

In policy

As Australia’s asylum system was equated to a lottery, refugees who spent years offshore received letters stating that settlement in Australia is not an option and that they should apply for resettlement to New Zealand. Meanwhile, refugees who were resettled in Australia through a skilled refugee program urged the government to expand the successful program. Registrations for the 2022 UNSW Kaldor Centre Conference opened.

New releases

Forty Nights, a book by Pirooz Jafari, published by Ultimo Press.

Weekly media wrap - 23 May 2016

Immigration minister Peter Dutton said Australia faced the prospect of “illiterate and innumerate” refugees if it significantly increased its humanitarian intake. Mr. Dutton also said unemployment would rise in response to the Greens’ proposal to increase Australia’s intake to 50,000. The Labor Party has pledged to increase the intake from 13,750 to 27,000.

Mr Dutton’s comments were met with widespread criticism. High profile Today co-host Karl Stefanovic called on Mr Dutton to apologise, before espousing the historic contribution of previous waves of refugees to Australian society. Former Immigration Minister Chris Bowen also demanded an apology, however Prime Minister Turnbull and Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop have defended Mr. Dutton and the Coalition’s record.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale outlined the Greens policy priorities under a post-election scenario where the Labor Party is forced to enter a power sharing arrangement to form government. “More decent and compassionate treatment of those people legitimately seeking asylum” is a key focus for the Greens. Election analysis suggests that increased focus on immigration is a potential weakness for the Labor party – ceding voters to the Greens in the inner city and the Coalition elsewhere.

Fairfax reported that Department of Immigration and Border Protection officials are under investigation for alleged assisting drug and tobacco smugglers with illegal importation. The Department has said they are ‘working actively with law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of serious criminality by its officers at the border’.

The Greek asylum service found that returning an asylum seeker to Turkey under the EU-Turkey deal was inconsistent with the Refugee Convention. Under the deal, asylum seekers who arrive by boat to Greece are returned to Turkey. The deal is controversial as Turkey has not lifted the geographical limits to the Convention and NGOs have reported that Turkey has returned Syrians in breach of the principle of non-refoulement.

At least 10,000 unaccompanied children are unaccounted for by European migration authorities according to a report published by the European Commission. The report suggests that increased irregular migrant flows raises the risk of children being sold in to sex slavery and otherwise exploited.