Australia - January 2023

A January 2023 Commonwealth Ombudsman report revealed inhumane treatment in federal detention centres, including the use of force against immigration detainees and unsanitary food services. A Human Rights Watch report raised further concerns over prison and detention centre conditions and criticized the over-representation of Aboriginal people in prison facilities. Australia has also received criticism internationally, and in October 2022 the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture suspended its visit to Australia due to restrictions to its access to several detention sites and documentation. Australia has also missed a twice-extended deadline to meet its obligations under the UN’s Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT), which it ratified in 2017.

Sources: The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian (1), Australian Human Rights Commission, Human Rights Watch, The Guardian (2), Commonwealth of Australia