This report argues that prolonged detention of children leads to serious negative impacts on their mental and emotional health and development. Foreword Australia currently holds about 800 children in mandatory closed immigration detention for indefinite periods, with no pathway to protection or settlement. This includes 186 children detained on Nauru. Children and their families have...

This paper outlines Australia's refugee resettlement program, and the various legal and political questions surrounding it. What is a refugee? The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (the 1951 Refugee Convention) is the key international legal document defining who is a refugee, their rights and the legal obligations of countries that are signatories...

Includes humanitarian entrant estimates between 1947–48 and 1976–77 and Humanitarian Program visa grants since 1977–78. Summary Australia has a long history of accepting refugees and other humanitarian entrants from all parts of the globe, including those in need of assistance during and immediately after World War II. Since 1945, when the first federal immigration portfolio...

An investigation by the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee into the criminal assaults perpetrated against individuals detained at the Manus Island Regional Processing Centre during the events of 16 to 18 February 2014. Referral of the inquiry On 5 March 2014, the Senate referred the following matter to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs...

Introduction The history of Australia over the last 200 years is one of immigration, the story of millions of people leaving their homes to build a new life in another part of the world. Through waves of immigration over 200 years, Australia has evolved into a successful, modern multicultural democracy.