Access to Protection for ‘Offshore Entry Persons’

Evidence to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, Estimates, Parliament of Australia, Canberra, Monday 23 May 2011, 11 (Andrew Metcalfe).

Senator Chris Evans, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, ‘Last refugees leave Nauru’ (Press Release, 8 February 2008).

Ibid.

Arrangement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Malaysia on Transfer and Resettlement <http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/media-releases/_pdf/20110725-arrangement-malaysia-aust.pdf> at 25 July 2011.

Plaintiff M70/2011 v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship; Plaintiff M106/2011 v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2011] HCA 32 (31 August 2011).

Adopted 28 July 1951, entered into force 22 Apr. 1954, 189 UNTS 137 (Refugee Convention), read together with the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (adopted 31 January 1967, entered into force 4 October 1967) 606 UNTS 267.

The definition was extended by regulation in 2005 to encompass all islands north of Carnarvon, Mackay and Darwin : Migration Amendment Regulations 2005 (No. 6) SLI 171.

Migration Act 1958 (Cth), s 46A and s 198A. More recently, unlawful non-citizens arriving in excised offshore places are commonly referred to as ‘irregular maritime arrivals’ rather than ‘offshore entry persons.’ However, there is no definition of irregular maritime arrivals in the Act. This article uses offshore entry person as defined in s 5(1) of the Act.

Migration Act s 46A(1).

Migration Act ss 13(1), 14(1), 29(1), 45, 46, 47, 65.

Migration Act s 46A(2), (7).

Migration Act s 195A. There is also scope for the Minister to grant a visa to a person held in detention under this section independent of the power to ‘lift the bar’.

Submissions of the First and Second Defendants, M61 of 2010 and M69 of 2010, page 9.

Commonwealth , Parliamentary Debates, House of Representatives, 18 September 2001, at 30870–30871.

Applicant A v Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (1996) 190 CLR 225, 231 (Brennan CJ).

Minister for Immigration and Citizenship/Minister for Foreign Affairs/Minister for Home Affairs ‘Changes to Australia's Immigration Processing System’ (Joint Media Release, 9 April 2009).

The Convention, article 3; ICCPR, article 26; UNHCR, Submission by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' Compilation Report – Universal Periodic Review: Australia, July 2010 www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4c3abad02.html at 22 August 2011.

Migration Act s 198A.

Arrangement, above n 4.

See generally regarding protection safeguards on transfer to a third country: Michelle Foster, 'Protection Elsewhere: The Legal Implications of Requiring Refugees to Seek Protection in another State (2007) 28 Michigan Journal of International Law 223; Taylor Savitri , ‘Protection Elsewhere/Nowhere’ (2006) 18 International Journal of Refugee Law 283.

Plaintiff M70/2011 [135] ( Gummow Hayne Crennan and Bell JJ ).

Francis Angus , ‘Bringing Protection Home: Healing the schism between international obligations and national safeguards created by extraterritorial processing’ (2008) 20 International Journal of Refugee Law 273.

Evidence to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, Estimates, Parliament of Australia, Canberra, Monday 23 May 2011, 68 ( Metcalfe Andrew ).

Migration Act s 256.

Wu Yu Fang v Minister for Immigration & Ethnic Affairs (1996) 135ALR583.

Two High Court challenges were lodged contesting the lawfulness of detention of post-7 May 2011 arrivals: Plaintiff M54/2011 v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2011] HCATrans 181 (24 June 2011); Ahmadi v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship [2011] HCATrans 183 (13 July 2011).

Arrangement, above n 4; Butterly Nick and Tillett Andrew , ‘Lucky 500 told they can stay’, West Australian (Perth) <http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/9911866/lucky-last-joy-as-asylum-seekers-told-they-can-stay/> at 18 August 2011.

Welch Dylan & Needham Kirsty , ‘Malaysia not ready for refugees’, The Age (Melbourne) 1 August 2011, www.theage.com.au/national/malaysia-not-ready-for-refugees-20110731-1i6e9.html?from=age_sb at 22 August 2011.

Arrangement, above n 4, Clause 10.2(a).

Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, APRRN Joint Statement on the Australia-Malaysia refugee swap agreement http://refugeerightsasiapacific.org/2011/05/17/aprrn-joint-statement-on-the-australia—malaysia-refugee-swap-agreement/ at 22 August 2011.

Foster Michelle , ‘Troubled waters lie ahead’, Opinion, The Age (Melbourne), 17 May 2011 www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/troubled-waters-lie-ahead-20110516-1ept5.html at 22 August 2011.

Migration Act, s 195A.

DIAC, Suspension of asylum claim processing and country information review for Afghanistan and Sri Lanka <http://mia.org.au/media/File/Fact_Sheet_Suspension_of_Afghanistan_and_Sri_Lanka_asylum_seekers__20100521.pdf> at 22 August 2011.

Australian HRC, Immigration detention and offshore processing on Christmas Island (2009) www.apo.org.au/sites/default/files/idc2009_xmas_island.pdf at 22 August 2011.

Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee, Provisions of the Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill 2006, June 2006, 60, 65, 74, 75–6.

Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs v Mayer (1985) 157 CLR 290, 294 ( Gibbs CJ ), 300 ( Mason Deane and Dawson JJ ), 305 ( Brennan J ).

UNHCR, Global Consultations on International Protection, 2nd meeting, ‘Asylum Processes (Fair and Efficient Asylum Procedures)’, EC/GC/01/12, 31 May 2001, [4] – [5]; ExCom Conclusions No. 8 (XXVIII)-1977, paras (d) and (e), No 28 (XXXIII) – 1982, para (c), and No 85 (XLIX – 1998), [(r)].

UNHCR, above n 17.

UNHCR, Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill, Submission of the Office of the UNHCR to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee, 22 May 2006, [25].

The Convention, Article 16(1); ICCPR, Article 14; UNHCR, Submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee, Inquiry into the Migration Litigation Reform Bill 2005, [6] and [8].

The Convention, Article 33. Nonrefoulement obligation also in article 3, 1984 UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 1465 UNTS 85, entered into force 26 June 1987 and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Adopted 16 Dec 1966, entered into force 23 March 1976, 999 UNTS 172 (entered into force 23 March 1976).

UNHCR, Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill, Submission of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee, 22 May 2006, [19].

Plaintiff M61/2010E v Commonwealth of Australia; Plaintiff M69 of 2010 v Commonwealth of Australia [2010] HCA 41.

DIAC, Visas, Immigration and Refugees, Protection Obligations Determination <immi.gov.au/visas/humanitarian/onshore/protection-obligations-determination.htm> at 22 August 2011.

[2011] FMCA 371 (25 May 2011).

Ibid [102].

Ibid [99].

SZPAC v Minister for Immigration & Anor [2011] FMCA 517 (7 July 2011), [24].

UNHCR, Global Consultations on International Protection, 2nd meeting, ‘Asylum Processes (Fair and Efficient Asylum Procedures)’, EC/GC/01/12, 31 May 2001, [4] – [5]; ExCom Conclusions No. 8 (XXVIII)–1977, [(d)] and [(e)], No. 28 (XXXIII) – 1982, [(c)], and No. 85 (XLIX – 1998), [(r)].

C v Minister for Immigration [2011] FMCA 517 (7 July 2011), [24].

UNHCR, above n 42.

The Convention, Article 16(1); ICCPR, Article 14; UNHCR, Submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation Committee, Inquiry into the Migration Litigation Reform Bill 2005, [6] and [8].

At end of May 2011, 60 applications in the Federal Magistrates Court related to judicial review of OEP matters.