Content Note: Discussion of detention of Asylum seekers

The Federal Labor government has recently authorised the re-opening of the Nauru detention centre to process asylum seekers. The re-opening of this detention centre is a horrific move by the government, as many of the detainees are subjected to horrible conditions, little to no medical aid and prolonged detention with no hope for a resolution. Many suffer from terrible mental health conditions because of the neglect and abuse they experience. 

Betelhem Tebubu, human rights activist and survivor of offshore processing on Nauru, said: “It is shocking, I was expecting good news, we were excited about this new government and now we are just getting this destructive news. It is very sad, I was expecting things were going to get better. I feel very sad, sad for the people held on Nauru.” 

“The conditions in Nauru are horrible, we lost our future, our dreams were stolen, and now this contract. People should be signing resettlement papers, not contracts. It is ten years and people are still there. They should be free, not hiring a new company. Give people a proper life and give medical treatment.” 

Ogy Simic, acting Director of Advocacy and Campaigns at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), said: “The rotten and cruel system of indefinite arbitrary detention of people who seek asylum by sea and offshore processing has denied rights and destroyed lives, it should come as no surprise that the only company willing to run it is a for-profit prison company that ‘traffics in human captivity for profit.’” 

In December 2022, the federal court ruled under the character provisions of the Migration Act that aggregate sentences would not trigger automatic visa cancellation. This granted numerous immigrants who were detained in Nauru visas to Australia.  

However, the Labor government introduced the Migration Amendment (Aggregate Sentence) Bill 2023 in February this year. This bill restores the previous interpretation of the character provision, which will force the re-detainment of people whose sentences for multiple offences aggregate to a term of 12 months or more. Essentially forcing released refugees back into detainment 

The Nauru detention centre has subjected many of the detainees to horrible conditions, little to no medical aid and prolonged detention with no hope for a resolution. This has resulted in multiple organisations such as the ASRC and the Human Rights Law Centre condemning the decision to re-open the centre.  

The director principal of Human Rights for All, Allison Battison, calls the original release of those detained in Nauru a “much more humane, legal and economically rational approach to immigration detention”.  

UMSU Students’ Council and People of Colour Department moved to condemn the Federal Labor government on its decision to re-open the Nauru detention centre. UMSU also condemns the Migration Amendment (Aggregate Sentence) Bill 2023 and stands in solidarity with asylum seekers and refugees in detention and calls for their release.