Asylum Seeker Resources

Online resources

This page lists a range of publications and online tools which you can use to find Australian and international statistics on refugee and asylum seeker issues.

Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC)

Annual reports

www.immi.gov.au/about/reports/annual

DIAC's annual reports contain statistical data on migration to Australia, refugee resettlement and processing of asylum applications.

Immigration detention

www.immi.gov.au/managing-australias-borders/detention/facilities/statistics

DIAC regularly publishes statistics on the numbers of people in immigration detention, including information such country of origin, gender, age, length of detention and where they are currently detained.

Statistical publications

www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/statistics

DIAC publishes a range of statistical publications on migration flows and settlement in Australia. These include:

Asylum trends: an annual publication which provides statistics on asylum applications, processing outcomes and the demographics of people seeking asylum.

Immigration update: a biannual publication containing a summary of immigration statistics including permanent additions, settler arrivals, permanent departures, visitors, students and business visas.

Ministerial intervention statistics: a biannual publication which contains an overview of Ministerial Intervention requests and outcomes.

Settler arrivals: an annual publication containing settler arrivals statistics by birthplace, state of intended residence and eligibility category.

Settlement Reporting Facility

www.immi.gov.au/settlement

The Settlement Reporting Facility is an online tool which provides statistical data on permanent arrivals to Australia. You can use the tool to sort and filter statistics by categories such as visa subclass, migration stream, age, gender, religion, language spoken, country of origin, area of residence and year of arrival in Australia.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

Census data

www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/data?opendocument#from-banner=LN

The ABS website provides access to census data from 1911. The website also features a range of tools which you can use to sort and filter census data on particular topics.

Migrant and Ethnicity statistics

www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/c311215.nsf/web/migrant+and+ethnicity

The National Migrant Statistics Unit provides access to a range of statistical information and publications on migrants to Australia and their descendants.

Population clock

www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Web+Pages/Population+Clock?opendocument#from-banner=LN

The population clock provides a real-time projection of the estimated resident population of Australia.

Australian Parliamentary Library

Boat arrivals in Australia since 1976

www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2011-2012/BoatArrivals

This regularly-updated fact sheet includes statistics on boat arrivals to Australia from 1976, by financial year and calendar year.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Statistical Online Population Database

www.unhcr.org/pages/4a013eb06.html

This online statistical tool contains standardised data on UNHCR's population of concern at country, regional and global levels.

Statistical publications

www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c4d6.html

Asylum Levels and Trends in Industrialised Countries

Global Trends Statistical Yearbooks - Projected Global Resettlement Needs

www.unhcr.org/4f0fff0d9.html

Reports

Amnesty International report on Guantanamo Bay, 13 May 2005

An important report from the Edmund Rice Centre: Deported to Danger describing the danger to which failed asylum seekers have been returned by Australia, sometimes because Australia provides those people with false papers in order to remove them from the country.  This report adds to the record of Australia’s failure to adhere to basic humanitarian standards.

Comrie Report on the detention and unlawful removal of Vivian Alvarez Solon

HREOC report into Children in Detention: our “family friendly” nation

Human Rights Commission report on Australia's detention camps: our national disgrace

Human Rights Watch have just produced a damning report on Australia: depressing reading

Palmer Report on the detention of Cornelia Rau (1.2Mb pdf file – may take a couple of minutes to load)

UN Working Group report on arbitrary detention in Australia

Uniya Jesuit Social Justice Centre: Report on Nauru, the blighted home of Australia’s “Pacific Solution”

Court Decisions

Full Federal Court requires Government to prove removal safe: QAAH v Minister for Immigration & Multicultural & Indigenous Affairs

Federal Court judge exposes DIMIA’s inadequate care for mental health of detainees: S v Secretary of DIMIA

Detention of children constitutional: re Woolley 8th October 2004

Indefinite detention– al Khateb, al Khafaji 6th August 2004

Inhumane conditions in detention constitutionally valid: Behrooz 6th August 2004

Failed refugee applicants can be removed regardless of the risk that they will self-harm or suicide: Federal Court decision in WAJZ, decided 14 October 2004

Recent case on the rights of people held in custody: Re Rigoli [2005] VSCA 325

Memos

Baxter: Australia's "Family friendly" detention camp - a brief eye-witness account

Legality of Immigration Detention

Other

A letter to the Australian public from the Sri Lankan asylum seekers on Nauru

A layperson’s guide to aspects of refugee law

Artists helping refugees: visit Kate Durham’s website

Emmanuel Ortiz: a poem for September 11

From Nothing to Zero: letters from asylum seekers in Australia’s detention centres, published by Lonely Planet.

Justice for Asylum Seekers publish A Better Way to treat refugees

Letter writing campaign: getting politicians to come clean about our refugee policy

Malcolm Fraser’s on-line petition: End Australia’s Detention of Children (now closed)

News Overboard: a fascinating and timely book by Iain Lygo

RAR: Myths and Facts about mandatory detention and Petro Georgiou’s private member’s bill

Response to deportation of Asylum Seekers: 20 November 2002, St Mary's cathedral

Schools resource kit: finding out about human rights in Australia

Speech: Justice Marcus Einfeld: "Wake up Australia: the new world order - the human dimension"

Submission to HREOC enquiry  into Children in Detention

Use of language analysis in assessing refugee claims; compare with the guidelines for proper use of language analysis.

Aust Lawyers for Human Rights site

Refugee research materials

University of Minnesota Human Rights Library

U. Minnesota Refugees Library

Conventions & Treaties

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

ICCPR

Convention on the Rights of the Child

Refugees Convention

Torture Convention

Geneva Convention on treatment of prisoners of war

UN website

UNHCR website

Amnesty International website