Australia’s Onshore Detention Policy

Abstract

The number of asylum seeker boat arrivals to Australia is minuscule on a global scale (Briskman 102). Nevertheless, even though numbers are comparatively low, the focus of Australian government intervention has been on boat arrivals: Australian governments on both sides of politics worked to stop and expel the asylum seekers who arrive by sea. In order to punish the asylum seekers who arrive by boat, Australia has an onshore and offshore detention policy. Onshore immigration detention refers to the detention of individuals within Australian territory. Australia has also externalized its borders by detaining them outside Australia and processing their refugee claims offshore. Since 1992, Australia’s migration law requires the detention of all non-citizens who are in Australia without a valid visa. This includes those who: overstay their visa, have it cancelled or, arrive in Australia without a visa and are seeking asylum. My presentation will shed light on onshore detention of asylum seekers. It will discuss the cruelty of this policy by making an analogy between detention centers and prisons. It will also explore the disastrous psychological impact of confinement on inmates.