The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has expressed 'deep concern' at the government's proposal to ban refugees who arrive by boat from ever entering Australia. The UN body has reminded the Turnbull government that Australia has a responsibility to offer protection to all asylum seekers, regardless of their mode of arrival. Federal Immigration Minister...

The current policy of the Australian Government is that no person who arrives in the country by boat seeking asylum can ever settle in Australia. Instead, anyone who arrives by boat is forcibly taken to offshore 'Refugee Processing Centres,' one of which is on the remote Pacific island of Nauru. The government claims that the...

On Q&A, panellists duelled over the numbers of migrants Australia takes a year. Is it 200,000 or 800,000? How many are permanent and how many are temporary?

Australia’s new Human Rights Commissioner, Edward Santow, will use his first year in office to focus on the treatment of people in detention in Australia.

The Commission has endeavoured to identify options for responding to flight by sea which are consistent with Australia’s international human rights obligations. In publishing this paper, the Commission is seeking to make a positive contribution to this difficult policy area. We have sought to provide the framework for an alternative policy response, rather than an...