Australia in UN spotlight over refugee treatment

Transcript

The Australian government is being reviewed by the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva this week.

A report representing the views of over 75 Non-Governmental Organisations has been prepared for the committee by Australia's Human Rights Law Centre.

The centre's Director of Advocacy, says the report covers a range of issues relating to Australia's compliance with it's obligations under the convention against torture and cruel treatment.

Jenny Meyer asked Rachel Ball about concerns over Australia's detention of asylum seekers.

RACHEL BALL: Australia's refugee and asylum seeker policy is a key focus of the report that we provided to the committee and there are several concerns that we have. Certainly conditions in immigration detention both on the Australian mainland and in our off shore processing centres are of concern. As is Australia's practice of turning asylum seekers back either in boats or without proper assessments of their claims if they do make it to the Australian mainland or to one of the processing centres on Manus Island or Nauru are also of concern. The convention against torture not only prohibits states from torturing or committing cruel inhuman or degrading treatment, but it also contains a prohibition on returning people to countries where they may face torture or cruel treatment. And that's an obligation that we don't think the Australian government meeting under its current policies and practices.

JENNY MEYER: The conditions in the detention centres in Nauru and Manus seem to be quite appalling from what you're saying in the report, in fact inhumane; do you think that the Australian government will have to change any of its practices as a result of having to front up to this United Nations committee?

RB: Well it's not just us who are concerned about the conditions on Manus Island and in the Nauru detention centres. Several independent reports, including by UN bodies, have described the conditions in those centres as cruel and inhumane. The committee when they questioned the Australian government last night raised several cases. Including one case where a man was killed by staff from one of the centres on Manus Island. And another man who did not receive adequate medical care also died earlier this year. So there are a number of reasons to be concerned about the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees who are currently held in those immigration detention centres. And we expect that the committee will have something to say about that in it's concluding observations which it will issue at the close of the review process.

JM: In particular there's been concern about as young as four years old I think being kept in some of those places?

RB: That's right there are very young children being held in the detention centre in Nauru at the moment. And as the committee said when it questioned Australia last night, it's clear under international law, that children should not be locked up in detention. Australia is committing a violation of it's obligations when it does this and there's an urgent need for the government to rethink it's policies.