Detention Centres

Mandatory detention is the practice of compulsorily detaining or imprisoning people seeking political asylum. Whilst Australia is not the only country to detain unauthorized arrivals in certain circumstances, it is the only country where there is mandatory immigration detention for all unlawful non-citizens. This imposition of mandatory detention for asylum seekers arriving in Australia without visas is a violation of basic human rights principles. As a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and countless treaties from the UN, our nation is in compliance with these principles, and whilst Australia continues to impose mandatory detention on Asylum Seekers we are violating the terms of these treaties.

For many years refugees have been demonized by the country through the spread of fear and misconception. Furthermore, the disgusting treatment of refugees in the detention camps by the Australian Government has been roundly criticised by the international community.

The increased severity in the criminal justice system towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is claimed to be the cause for the increasing incarceration rates. Research shows that the majority of Australian prisons have a high Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, “since 1989, the imprisonment rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has increased 12 times faster than the rate of non Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.” This shows that there has been major overrepresentation of Indigenous people in Australia in prisons.

Another technique used in the documentary to challenge the viewers’ assumptions was the use of narration to present facts about the refugee situation. These facts and figures give the viewers a truthful and realistic picture of the situation. Some beliefs that exist in Australian society are that we are taking in too many refugees; they are criminals, they are taking over Australia, using Australian tax payers’ money and changing our culture. However, we are presented with facts and figures that change our assumptions. For example, more than 30 million people have fled their homes with nothing but the clothes they wear, boat smugglers charge up to and over $10, 000 US dollars, 13, 000 refugees are accepted annually only 2,000 of those refugees arrive by boat. Despite what many people think, like Raye who believed refugees in Australia are “handed everything on a gold platter,” life in detention centres is hard. In Villawood Detention Centre, over 9 months, three detainees committed suicide and 18 caused self-harm.

All throughout history, Prison war camps Sorta became a thing of the norm . Whether it is in Nazi ,Germany during World War II or The United States during the civil war. Both packed and riddled with disease, both brutal, no doubt, but one more than the other.

During 2012-13 Australia’s Refugee and Humanitarian program increased from 13,750 to 20,000 places divided between offshore resettlement and onshore protection. It resulted in 87% rise in the number of offshore resettlement visas granted. The alternatives include indefinite mandatory detention and mandatory detention. Asylum seekers who arrive without prior valid visas usually have to go through mandatory detention. They usually stay in detention for an average of 450 days. Community placement are another alternative. Many asylum seekers from immigration detentions centers are released are placed on bridging visas so they can live in community. Although

This is to guarantee that children may only be detained under the Migration Act for only on necessary matters such as identity, health and security checks. Children shouldn’t even be behind bars. They should be able to be released into the community as they have just as much right as everyone else does. We need new laws that make detention of children the last resort – not the first or the only option. We need new laws that make detention of children for the shortest proper period of time – not for indefinite periods of time. And we need new laws that make the best interests of the child a primary consideration – not laws that force a choice between indefinite detention and family separation. There also needs to be an individual assessment of the need to detain children and an effective review of detention in the courts. Our immigration laws need to be amended as a matter of urgency to ensure Australia’s full agreement with the international human rights standards.

Political unrest and local war happens around the world all the time. Many people live in a dangerous situation and suffered from violence. Hence, large amount of asylum seeker undertakes a huge perilous, try to cross the ocean and arrive Australia. To deal with this issue, Australian government enacted mandatory detention policy and offshore processing policy, these policies become highly contentious in the community with many arguments and criticisms. This report will focus on the nature and purpose of these immigration policies and the impact towards the asylum seeker as well as the criticism form international. To propose some advice about how the future policies should be framed.

The Second World War was an international event which drastically impacted the world as a whole. With the war came a new found sense of mistrust throughout society. American and Canadian communities were divided due to the fear of espionage and sabotage, forms of spying which could help aid the enemy in war. This division promoted distrust, discrimination and violence toward Japanese immigrants and their children. To offset these fears resulting from war, Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadian citizens were forced into internment camps, resulting in a heightened sense of tension upon arrival home and finally the compensations of both US and Canadian governments

2. On page 12, the narration changes. Why might it be necessary for someone else to begin telling Janie’s story now?

A Research Project Submitted to the Faculty of National University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of:

These detention centers are proven to be beyond poorly equipped and lack properly trained medical personnel. Dora Schriro, a former Homeland Security advisor says...

Why did Australian officials feel the need to ‘sell’ Australia in the DP camps of post-war Europe?

Australia has arguably the most restrictive immigration control in the world and has very tough policies in place for asylum seekers who arrive by boat. Under Australia 's system of mandatory detention, all non-citizens who are in Australia without a valid visa must be detained, including children. In 2012, offshore processing of asylum seekers commenced and detention centres in Nauru and Manus Island (Papua New Guinea) were established. This new system enforced policies that transferred asylum seekers who arrive by boat without a valid visa to a third country. Once the processing of asylum seekers was completed, those found to be genuine refugees will be resettled in Papua New Guinea or Cambodia, not Australia. The Abbott Government stated that no immigrant who arrives in Australia by boat will be grated a visa, no matter the legitimacy of their claim. In April 2016, the Manus Island detention centre was closed after the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea found it to be illegal. Current immigration Peter Dutton has made it clear that asylum seekers on Manus Island are the responsibility of Papua New Guinea and would not come to Australia. As well as the hundreds of immigrants in offshore detention centres, there are hundreds more in community detention in Australia. There are currently over 26,800 visa applications from those who are awaiting the outcome of their refugee application whilst living on a bridging visa in Australia.

International law under the 1951 Refugee Convention, permits the right to seek asylum and allocates a responsibility to provide protection for those who lie under the definition of refugee. Since then policies have been modified and used to suit the interests of the government. In particular, the Border Protection Legislation Amendment Act 1999. Authorised the removal of undocumented ships in Australian territory and proclaimed that anyone aboard the ship can be forcibly returned and denied application of asylum. Other legislation, such as the Migration Legislation Amendment Act 1999 makes it illegal for a person to carry people who are not citizens without valid documentation. These policies allow the government to portray itself as strong on border protection and terrorism. This plays well to its core constituencies but is rightly lambasted by human rights organisations and civil liberty groups. Refugees are undocumented people fleeing from their country of origin, so there isn’t a variety of travel options to escape to safety. The policy disclaiming that ‘everyone who lands by boat doesn’t get to stay’ is ignorant to the concept of why people are forced to leave. It’s not a choice to be removed from your country, it's a matter of survival and safety. The core principle of the Refugee convention is that people are not forced to return to a country where they face the threat of persecution or danger.