Private security contractors have used excessive force against people in Australian immigration detention centres, a damning new report by the independent detention monitoring body has found.

In its most recent Monitoring Immigration Detention report, the Commonwealth Ombudsman raised ‘increasing concerns’ about the use of force against people in detention, including one incident in which there appeared to be ‘no lawful basis’ for the force used against a person who posed no risk to safety. The report said this incident, combined with the Ombudsman’s observations over recent years, had revealed broader issues with the use of force in detention.

David Burke, Legal Director at the Human Rights Law Centre, said, “These findings highlight the grave failures of Minister Dutton to ensure people’s safety in immigration detention. Private security contractors are using unlawful and unjustified force against people in the Government’s care. 

“Abuse thrives behind closed doors. And this report reveals that force has been used against people who pose no threat to safety.”

The report comes at the same time that the Minister for Home Affairs is attempting to pass the Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020, which would give sweeping, unchecked powers to the Minister to ban almost any item in detention, including mobile phones, and private security contractors to search and seize items in immigration detention. 

“Minister Dutton is currently trying to pass new laws to ban mobile phones and other items and give security contractors in detention even broader powers with less oversight. This report shows how dangerous that would be. We need more oversight and accountability in immigration detention, not less.”

The Ombudsman’s report also raised concerns that people are being detained in locations away from family, friends and other support networks, for increasingly long periods of time. 

“Immigration detention isolates people and rips them from their families and communities. People are often detained thousands of kilometres away from their loved ones. For people who are separated like this, access to mobile phones is a lifeline.

“Because of existing COVID-19 restrictions, people in detention are being blocked from seeing their loved ones in person. People’s phones have become even more important. Instead of fighting for new laws to restrict communication and detaining indefinitely people for years and years on end, Minister Dutton should be working to urgently release people from detention into safe housing in the community,” said Burke.

Media contact:

Michelle Bennett, Communications Director, Human Rights Law Centre, 0419 100 519