About the campaign

9 March 2009, 10:48AM

Amnesty International Australia has been campaigning on behalf of refugees in Australia since 1993 when mandatory detention was introduced, and has also been a part of several international refugee campaigns.

There has been an active refugee campaign at Amnesty International Australia since 2000, when an increase of Iraqi and Afghan asylum seekers led to a sharp rise in the number of people, including children, held in detention. Since then, the campaign has helped to bring about many positive changes to the Australian refugee system.

In July 2005, the Howard government amended its mandatory detention regime and released children and their families from detention.

Most recently, with the election of the ALP government, Amnesty International Australia has been delighted to see the termination of the Pacific Solution with the closure of the asylum seeker processing centre on the island nation of Nauru, as well as the end of Temporary Protection Visas.

These are three core issues that the refugee campaign had focused on and we commend the Australian government for the steps it has taken so far. However, there are still many problems facing Australia’s refugee system.

Many of the positive changes that have been made in the past few years are yet to become a part of Australian law, but merely exist as Department of Immigration policy. This leaves the door open for the return of damaging practises such as prolonged, even indefinite, detention. The Amnesty International Australia refugee campaign is committed to ensuring that the government legislates the recent changes to its immigration policy.

Furthermore, there are still several core aspects of Australia’s Onshore refugee program that Amnesty International Australia believes need to be changed:

1. Over 4000 islands remain excised from Australia’s migration zone, allowing the Australian government to avoid its international obligations to asylum seekers who arrive on our shores. Amnesty International Australia believes that this excision unfairly punishes asylum seekers for their mode of arrival and we are campaigning for ALL Australian territory to again be part of the migration zone.

2. Christmas Island continues to be used as an offshore processing/detention centre. Amnesty International Australia has visited the newly opened $400 million detention centre on Christmas Island and found it to be harsh, unwelcoming and an inappropriate environment for asylum seekers, many of whom are survivors of torture and trauma. Moreover, the remote location of Christmas Island means that detainees accommodated there do not have access to the same legal, health and counselling services provided to detainees on the mainland. Amnesty International Australia believes that the continuing use of the Christmas Island detection centre contravenes many of Australia’s international obligations and should be closed down.

3. Mandatory detention - 'Unauthorised arrivals' who do not have proper identification continue to face indefinite detention. Amnesty International Australia is dedicated to ending the policy of mandatory detention which penalises people for seeking asylum from persecution, a right they have under international law.

4. Complementary Protection is a system of protection for people who do not qualify as a refugee according to the Refugee Convention. Presently, asylum seekers who make protection claims based on gender violence, civil unrest and other issues not covered by the Refugee Convention, are forced to waste time and money going through the whole refugee appeal process before requesting that the Minister of Immigration exercise his discretionary powers to grant them protection. This is an inefficient and costly system for both the individual asylum seeker and the Department of Immigration. Amnesty International is campaigning for a meaningful provision of complementary protection to be included in Australia’s refugee determination system.

5. Refugee status determination - Amnesty International Australia is campaigning for changes to be made to Australia’s refugee status determination processes to make them fairer and more transparent. Over recent years a number of basic principles relating ton both natural and substantive forms of justice have been removed from the asylum process. In order for Australia to best meet its international obligations to protect those at risk of human rights violations, we will work to ensure that these elements are returned.

The Amnesty International Australia refugee campaign is also committed to working with the government to improve Australia’s Offshore refugee and humanitarian program. In January 2009, Amnesty International Australia provided a submission to the Australian government suggesting that:

1. A policy of multi-year planning be adopted in order to alleviate protracted refugee situations such as Rohingyas in Thailand and Bangladesh; Palestinians on the Syrian/Iraqi boarder; and vulnerable refugees in South Africa who are at greatest risk of xenophobic violence.

2. If the Department moves to multi-year programming, it retains a certain level of flexibility in order to be able to respond to international crisis and show leadership in pursuing neglected populations.

3. The Department continues to offer UNHCR places for non-Iraq refugees in Syria.

4. UNHCR is assisted in avoiding gaps in meeting global needs and priorities by targeting perceived “high risk” populations, including by providing unallocated places for dossier submissions.

5. Australia not only maintains but increases its leadership role in responding to critical refugee caseloads around the world.

Amnesty International Australia’s refugee campaign is committed to improving both Australia’s Onshore and Offshore refugee programs and making sure that the Australian government fulfils its international obligations towards refugee applicants. The campaign works to ensure that all asylum seekers in Australia are treated humanely and with dignity.

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Around the world, millions of refugees seek sanctuary from violence and persecution. By giving now you will be protecting the rights of people like these two boys, watching food distribution at Gaga Refugee Camp in eastern Chad.

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