Message from the Commissioner Human rights apply to everybody, everyday. Not just to the majority, or when it is convenient. Women make up less than 6% of the total number of people currently detained in immigration detention in Australia. After visiting the facilities where women are held, our central conclusion is that they are too often an afterthought. This can be seen in our observations throughout this Inspection Report about detention infrastructure, the provision of programs and activities, access to services and the delivery of staff training. There may only be a relatively small number of women in immigration detention, but that does not justify lower standards of treatment, or particular needs and vulnerabilities being either unrecognised or unmet. To prepare this Inspection Report, the Australian Human Rights Commission visited immigration detention facilities New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia for the specific purpose of examining the experience of women in immigration detention. We have ended up making 31 recommendations to better protect the human rights of women in immigration detention, as well as improving the quality of the work environment and support for staff. These include both recommendations specific to individual facilities, and others that are systemic in nature. While some of these recommendations are specific to the experiences of women in immigration detention, there are other recommendations that reflect the same key concerns that we have raised for many years across numerous reports into conditions at immigration detention facilities in Australia. The Department of Home Affairs (Department) has considered these recommendations, and their response has been published alongside this Report. They have agreed or partially agreed with 11 of our recommendations, disagreed with four, noted 15, and identified one recommendation that requires government consideration. We would like to thank the Department for their assistance in facilitating these inspections, and their response to the Inspection Report. In particular, we would like to acknowledge the detention centre staff that we met during our inspection visits for the constructive approach they adopted, and the sincere efforts that many of them are making to address the types of issues raised throughout this Report. It is disappointing to see a return to the Departmental practice of ‘noting’ recommendations. It is also notable that the Department considers that it has already met 15 of the 31 recommendations through existing arrangements. Our recommendations are based on both our own direct observations of existing arrangements and interviews conducted during inspection visits (including interviews with detention centre staff). If our Report has highlighted a disconnect between intended arrangements and their actual implementation, then we look forward to working constructively with the Department to help bridge that gap. Women are clearly a minority in terms of the overall numbers in immigration detention in Australia. But they should not be just an afterthought when it comes to their overall safety, treatment, and human rights. Lorraine Finlay Human Rights Commissioner Australian Human Rights Commission Message from the Commissioner 7