2012 POLICY RESOLUTIONS

INDEFINITE DETENTION OF REFUGEES

There are more than 50 refugees (that is, people who are accepted by Australia as having met the criteria for protection under the Refugee Convention) who are being held in indefinite detention because ASIO has issued adverse security assessments in respect of them. They have no right to receive reasons for the adverse assessment and no meaningful legal right to challenge the assessment. Some of this group have spent more than 3½ years in detention. In March 2012, a joint parliamentary inquiry into Australia’s Immigration Detention Network made several recommendations to provide some rights for this group, including providing a right to apply for merits review of the adverse security assessment. The Australian government’s latest position is that it is considering various proposals for dealing with this group, but has not made any decision.

Resolution
That no-one in Australia, including unlawful non-citizens, should be subject to indefinite detention on national security grounds. Refugees with adverse security assessments should be released into the community.

Moved Pauline Wright/Lesley Lynch: The resolution be accepted: Carried