Immigration

• Federal migration bill must be abandoned

  17th Apr 2024

  The Federal Government should abandon the Migration Amendment (Removal and Other Measures) Bill 2024 which punishes and criminalises people who are seeking protection in Australia.

• Proposed response to High Court decision imposes harsh conditions on refugees

  16th Nov 2023

  Proposed legislation created to respond to the High Court’s ruling that indefinite immigration is unlawful will unfairly and harshly punish refugees, many of whom have already spent years in detention.

• High Court decision may lead to redress for falsely imprisoned refugees

  10th Nov 2023

  Following the High Court decision this week, compensation for false imprisonment is now possible for refugees who have been detained indefinitely because they do not have a visa but have no prospect of removal to another country.

• Welcome to Immigrant, Inc.

  23rd Jun 2022

  Immigration lawyer, activist, author and speaker Richard T Herman has been working to change the conversation on immigration, arguing that immigrants and foreign nationals, with their ingenuity and drive, are creating and maintaining jobs in ‘an era that will be defined by innovation, smart technology, and multicultural lifestyles.’

• Djokovic case highlights Australia’s arbitrary and unfair border policies

  14th Jan 2022

  The decision today to cancel Novak Djokovic’s visa highlights how arbitrary Australia’s border policies and immigration decisions are, say lawyers.

• The legacy of the asylum seeker phone ban

  19th Nov 2020

  The proposed Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020, which would have banned refugees, asylum seekers and non-citizens who are held in immigration detention from having mobile phones, failed to pass the Senate by the narrowest of margins.

  Dr Sangeetha Pillai analyses the scope and impact of the proposed law and argues that it will have broad and long-lasting ramifications on conversations around detention search powers, access to legal representation, and government accountability. 

• Comcare must act to enforce WHS laws in immigration detention

  15th Jul 2020

  Failure to enforce COVID-19 social distancing rules in immigration detention centres, including hotels, is a breach of workplace health and safety laws and Comcare must act immediately to enforce this duty of care, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• Border Force search and seize laws will dangerously increase security staff powers

  14th May 2020

  The powers of Australian Border Force staff will be significantly increased if proposed laws introduced today by Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge are passed, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• COVID-19 in detention centres & prisons: A potential human rights catastrophe

  24th Mar 2020

  Proposed NSW legislation that will allow for the early release of some prisoners is welcome, and similar legislation should be introduced in all other states and territories as a matter of urgency, says the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA).

• The re-opening of Christmas Island: Two steps back

  28th Mar 2019

  Following the Senate's passing of the Medevac Bill – which will provide clinical pathways for detainees requiring medical care and ensure that authorities are compelled to determine whether a patient may be transferred to Australia for treatment within 72 hours – the Australian government has announced its intention to re-open the detention centre on Christmas Island. 

  Kathryn Schmidt discusses the human rights implications of these political actions.

• Immigration lawyers acting for asylum seekers are ‘unAustralian’

  20th Dec 2018

  A reflective essay that responds to this assertion.

• Untold Damage - workplace health and safety in immigration

  10th Jun 2016

  Abuse, mental illness and neglect of basic hygiene cause unnecessary and lasting health problems for detainees in immigration detention. They have even caused death. As Commonwealth workplaces, all people affected by immigration detention facilities are supposed to enjoy the protections found in the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) (the WHS Act), including detainees. However, an investigation by the Australian Lawyers Alliance (ALA) reveals that this law is being regularly flouted, with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (the Department) regularly failing to meet its obligations.