Lorraine Finlay Human Rights Commissioner Australian Human Rights Commission Commissioner’s Foreword Alternative places of detention (APODs) have been used in Australia for over twenty years. While the use of hotels as APODs may be appropriate as a short-term option in exceptional cases, the Australian Human Rights Commission has consistently expressed the view that hotel APODs are not appropriate to be used for lengthy periods of detention, and has previously raised specific concerns relating to the conditions in hotel APODs. This inspection report again highlights many of those same concerns. Since these inspection visits took place in mid-2022, the Commission has welcomed the consistent trend of the overall numbers of individuals detained in hotel APODs being reduced. However, we still consider this inspection report to be relevant for three key reasons. The first is that it highlights the way that, in recent years, hotel APODs have come to be seen as a regularised part of Australia’s immigration detention network, rather than being limited to use in exceptional circumstances. The second is that hotel APODs continue to be used, albeit that the total number detained in hotel APODs has been reduced. Given this, the observations made in this report about the conditions in hotel APODs are still relevant. The third is that the report highlights significant concerns around both the way that releases from hotel APODs have been conducted and the provision of post-release support. These are issues that have broader relevance beyond hotel APODs in terms of the operation of the wider immigration detention network. The Commission hopes that this report will encourage necessary steps to be taken to improve the support that is available, particularly to ensure continuity of medical care when individuals are released. The Commission would like to thank all of those who contributed to the inspection visits and report. We would also like to acknowledge the constructive engagement of the Department of Home Affairs and Australian Border Force, both in facilitating the inspection visits and responding to the inspection report. The Use of Hotels as Alternative Places of Detention (APODs) • 2023 • 5