Offshore detention inquiry squanders chance for change

A parliamentary report, released yesterday, marked the conclusion of an overdue look into Australia’s heartless regime of offshore detention.

Tragically, the report’s four recommendations will do little to address the regime’s shortcomings, said Elijah Buol OAM, chief executive officer of the Asylum Seekers Centre.

“Offshore detention is a scheme that is cloaked in secrecy, responsible for countless instances of human rights violations, and comes at an extortionate cost to Australian taxpayers,” Mr Buol said.

He welcomed the committee’s willingness to question Australia’s new secretive deal with Nauru to deport certain cohorts of refugees to the remote Pacific Island. The committee heard from numerous people who have been subjected to this cruel instrument of government policy and detailed its abuses.

According to one person’s testimony:

“Nauru was hell… The temperature was over 45 degrees Celsius. The tents were very small. There was no space to properly walk or sit or move around inside. Each tent had two foldable beds with inflatable mattresses. The ground was rough, covered with dust and rocks. We were only allowed to have showers for two minutes. After that, the water would be cut off… Security guards were asking for—what can I say?—sexual favours in exchange for cigarettes, or asking for a kiss or a hug from children in exchange for lollipops or chewing gum… The first thing an officer would ask was, ‘Are you married?’ … when I look back on it, I think women and children were being groomed by security guards. They were using their power for their own gratification… After 14 years, we are now devastated. We felt dead and forgotten.”

“Such stories are heartbreaking – and real,” Mr Buol said. “But this level of transparency alone will not end the human rights abuses.”

“Only a Royal Commission can truly shine a light on the suffering caused by Australia’s offshore detention regime, which has resulted in 14 deaths.”

Mr Buol described the committee’s recommendations “unambitious”. They included asking the Department of Home Affairs merely to:

• “continue to implement and strengthen integrity and due diligence measures”.
• “consider” making contracting details more accessible, while hiding behind “commercial-in-confidence considerations”.
• urge the Auditor-General to “give consideration to” creating independent oversight for operations on Nauru.
• implement overdue recommendations from the Richardson Review that sought better disclosure for activities on Nauru.

However, Mr Buol acknowledged Greens Senator David Shoebridge, who called for an end to third-country resettlement and offshore processing, and advocated for Australia to find permanent homes for everyone held in offshore detention.

–ENDS–

Established in 1993, the Asylum Seekers Centre (ASC) was the first organisation in Australia to open its doors to specifically welcome and support people seeking asylum. We provide practical and personal support for people seeking safety in Greater Sydney, and advocate for fair and humane policies at every level.

In the last financial year, we supported approximately 4,600 people seeking asylum, including around 1,000 children, from more than 90 countries.
For more information, please contact the Asylum Seekers Centre’s Advocacy Lead, Mark Johnson, at comms@asylumseekerscentre.org.au.