Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner, Lorraine Finlay, has raised significant alarms regarding the nation’s adherence to international human rights standards following a recent 12-day tour of detention facilities across the country. Her findings show that Australia is failing to meet critical international obligations, especially in regards to the treatment of underserved groups.
During her cross-country tour, Finlay visited numerous detention centers, seeking to understand the culture and policies that have a direct impact on detainees. She found challenges along the way, especially in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, where she was prevented from using some rest stops. This alarming lack of transparency has increased her concerns over the treatment and continued detention of detainees in those areas.
Finlay’s report highlights very troubling trends around the over-representation of First Nations people in the Australian detention system. She noted that these disparities should cause everyone to ask some hard questions about systemic biases and shortcomings in what’s happening now. These results indicate that punitive policies have a disproportionate impact on Indigenous communities, exacerbating vicious cycles of marginalization.
Additionally, as Executive Director of the Council, Finlay voiced strong opposition to detention policies aimed at children in the national detention system. The report makes a strong case about the impact of these measures. Their harm can have lasting impact — scarring young people and their communities for life. She argues that there needs to be a reversal of these policies, so that they are consistent with international human rights standards.
The increasing rates of remand across the country came up as a key concern throughout Finlay’s review as well. The end result is a growing number of people, most of whom are poor, incarcerated before they ever face their trial. This can compound racial and economic inequities for the people displaced. Finlay contends that this widespread injustice demands immediate action and change to ensure the rights of pre-trial individuals are upheld.
Moreover, the use of mandatory detention in general began facing criticism. Finlay’s conclusions of the larger body of data indicate that this strategy creates significant ethical issues, especially with regards to its impact on human rights. It’s time for lawmakers to reconsider these approaches, she implores. They need to consider international obligations, as well as humane treatment of all detainees.
