MYNQ Blog

Christmas Island Tragedy

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 01:33:03 GMT

Yesterday, dozens of people seeking asylum lost their lives off the coast of Christmas Island as rough waves dashed their boat to pieces against the rocks, as horrified residents looked on, helpless and unable to intervene. This event has sparked new and heated discussion on the dangers of denying asylum seekers safe passage to Australia. Today's media reflects a number of voices. Some are represented below.

Concerns over Darwin's immigration centres

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:48:32 GMT

Australian Human Rights Commission media release: 14th December 2010

Concerns raised about Darwin immigration detention facilities

The Australian Human Rights Commission has raised concerns about the high numbers of families with children and unaccompanied minors being held for longer periods of time in immigration detention facilities in Darwin. In a statement on the Commission’s visit to immigration detention facilities in Darwin, Commission President Catherine Branson QC said she was concerned about the impacts prolonged detention were having on the health, education and psychological needs of children.

Declaration will strengthen participation of Indigenous peoples

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 02:32:04 GMT

Implementing the Declaration will strengthen participation of Indigenous peoples

Media Release: Australian Human Rights Commission, 3 December 2010

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda has joined with Indigenous People’s Organisations from 15 countries in the Asia Pacific Region in a bid to breathe life into the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Increase in self-harm among detainees

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:46:26 GMT

The increased incidence of suicide and self-harm amongst detained asylum seekers over recent months has again highlighted the damaging impacts of prolonged and indefinite detention on the mental health of asylum seekers. The suicides of two detainees at the Villawood detention centre since September and the protest on Christmas Island during which 10 asylum seekers sewed their lips together have evidenced the urgent need to review Australia’s policy of mandatory detention. In its report on Christmas Island released in October, the Australian Human Rights Commission highlighted the inadequacy of mental health services on the Island and expressed concern about the increasing rate of self-harm amongst detainees. The report is available here. Amnesty International Australia expressed similar concerns in a recent submission to the UN Committee Against Torture on immigration detention. The submission drew attention to the rise in self-harm and attempted suicides, the noticeable distress amongst detainees and the deficiency of mental health resources across all facilities. The submission is available here.

In September, RCOA issued a media release calling for a review of the mandatory detention policy, urging the Australian Government to seek out alternatives to detention for asylum seekers. The release is available here.

High Court ruling a step towards fairer asylum system

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:38:54 GMT

The Refugee Council of Australia has welcomed the High Court ruling on Australia’s offshore refugee status assessment process as a long-awaited and critical step towards a fairer and more rigorous system. The High Court ruled that two Sri Lankan asylum seekers were denied procedural fairness in the review of their claims under the processing arrangements which apply to asylum seekers who enter Australia through excised offshore territory. In a unanimous decision, the High Court ruled that any review of a refugee status assessment must be bound by the provisions of the Migration Act and the decisions of Australian courts. The main impact of this decision is to put all people seeking asylum in Australia on an equal footing. Both the mainland and offshore asylum processes will now be subject to judicial review in situations where an error in legal reasoning has occurred or where procedural fairness has been denied. Read the High Court judgement here. RCOA’s media release on the judgement can be found here.

Source: Refugee Council of Australia Bulletin

Indigenous youth after school

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:09:14 GMT

Using data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), a briefing paper called "Early post-school outcomes of Indigenous Youth: the role of literacy and numeracy" explores the impact of literacy and numeracy levels on the educational gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. The paper focuses on the early post-school outcomes of Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people between 1999 and 2007. Raising the levels of literacy and numeracy for Indigenous youth would help to improve some of their educational outcomes. However, many Indigenous young people face multiple disadvantages, such as poor access to post-school education and poor health, in addition to low literacy and numeracy levels, which subsequently affect their outcomes.

Download the briefing paper here. If you are not already registered with LSAY, it is a free and quick process.

Constitutional Recognition plans applauded

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 01:46:34 GMT

Media Release: Australian Human Rights Commission, 8 November 2010

The Australian Human Rights Commission has welcomed the announcement today by Prime Minister Julia Gillard that the Australian Government will establish an expert panel to work towards including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in the Constitution.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda, said formally recognising the special and unique place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia’s Constitution was central to developing stronger and deeper relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the rest of Australia.

DIAC Statistics 2009/2010

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 23:09:51 GMT

The latest annual report from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) reveals that Australia issued 9236 offshore refugee and humanitarian visas and 4534 onshore protection and humanitarian visas in the 2009-10 financial year. The top countries of origin for offshore visas were Burma 1959, Iraq 1688, Bhutan 1144, Afghanistan 951, Congo (DRC) 584, Ethiopia 392, Somalia 317, Sudan 298, Liberia 258, Sierra Leone 237.

Human Rights Commission Media Release

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 05:01:58 GMT

Report calls for end to mandatory detention on Christmas Island - Australian Human Rights Commission Media Release, 29th October 2010

The Australian Human Rights Commission has released its 2010 Christmas Island immigration detention report today and has again recommended an end to mandatory detention and offshore processing on Christmas Island.

Commission President and Human Rights Commissioner Catherine Branson QC, repeated the Commission’s long-held view that detaining asylum seekers in remote locations like Christmas Island was not appropriate.

“The Commission’s concerns about Christmas Island have been compounded this year by the significant increase in the number of people in detention on the island which has led to overcrowding and deteriorated conditions,” Ms Branson said.

AHRC Media Release

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 23:22:32 GMT

Media Release: Australian Human Rights Commission, 18 October 2010

The Australian Human Rights Commission has welcomed today's announcement that the Australian Government will move some families and unaccompanied minors out of immigration detention facilities into community-based accommodation.

Commission President Catherine Branson QC, said the Commission also hoped the Government would expand these efforts and implement them as quickly as possible.