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LIV calls for better access to legal advice in detention centres
The Law Institute of Victoria used Thursday’s Human Rights Day to focus the attention on the “shameful conditions” of those held in Australia’s immigration detention centres.
Naomi Neilson
The recent report from the Australian Human Rights Commission has “clearly outlined” concerns with immigration detention facilities, said Law Institute of Victoria’s (LIV) Sam Pandya. The president said that more needs to be done to protect the human rights of those who are “detained and completely silenced” within the centres.
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He said one of the major issues facing people in the detention centres is lack of access to legal advice, which is particularly stark given 1,500 people remain in these facilities. Many do not know that the advice is free, which means they are not asking for it.
“The LIV recognises the importance of timely and accurate legal advice. This will assist the role of status resolution officers [and will] not hinder it,” Mr Pandya said.
He added the report details some “alarming concerns” concerning mental and physical health of people in detention, which is “magnified” the longer they are detained.
“Unlike any other developed country, the detention population has increased in COVID and as of September 2020, the average length of detention increased to 581 days,” the LIV said in a statement.
“The LIV urges the government to adopt all recommendations in the report so it could better protect the rights of people who are detained.”
Australia’s human rights policies have been in the spotlight over the last year. It recently was the subject of an inquiry that recommended Magnitsky-style laws be implemented to hold human rights abusers and profiteers to account for their actions.
Its own breaches of human rights have time and again been highlighted in reports and media investigations, with the most recent landmark report revealing that 25 former or current Australian Defence Force personnel were involved in serious crimes in Afghanistan.
