Australian Human Rights Commission
Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee, 18 September 2017
island-papua-new-guinea-23-to-25-october.html (viewed 11 September 2017); Robert Cornall, Review
into the events of 16-18 February 2014 at the Manus Regional Processing Centre (Department of
Immigration and Border Protection, 23 May 2014). At
https://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/Documents/reviews-and-inquiries/review-robertcornall.pdf (viewed 11 September 2017); United Nations Committee against Torture, Concluding
observations on the combined fourth and fifth periodic reports of Australia, UN Doc CAT/C/AUS/CO/45 (23 December 2014), 6. At
http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CAT/C/AUS/CO/45&Lang=En (viewed 11 September 2017); Philip Moss, Review into recent allegations relating to
conditions and circumstances at the Regional Processing Centre in Nauru (Department of Immigration
and Border Protection, 6 February 2015). At
https://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/Documents/reviews-and-inquiries/reviewconditions-circumstances-nauru.pdf (viewed 11 September 2017); Juan E. Méndez, Special
Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Observations
on communications transmitted to Governments and replies received, United Nations Human Rights
Council, 28th sess, Agenda Item 3, UN Doc A/HRC/28/68/Add.1 (5 March 2015). At
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session28/Documents/A_HRC_28_68_Ad
d.1_en.doc (viewed 11 September 2017); Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References
Committee, Parliament of Australia, Incident at the Manus Island Detention Centre from 16 February
to 18 February 2014 (December 2014) 37–54. At
http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/
Manus_Island/~/media/Committees/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/Manus_Island/Report/report.pdf
(viewed 11 September 2017); Select Committee on the recent allegations relating to conditions and
circumstances at the Regional Processing Centre in Nauru, Parliament of Australia, Taking
responsibility: Conditions and circumstances at Australia's Regional Processing Centre in Nauru
(August 2015) 59–86. At
http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Regional_processing_Nauru/Regi
onal_processing_Nauru/~/media/Committees/nauru_ctte/Final_Report/report.pdf (viewed 11
September 2017); Elizabeth Elliott and Hasantha Gunasekera, The health and well-being of children in
immigration detention: Report to the Australian Human Rights Commission – Monitoring Visit to
Wickham Point Detention Centre, Darwin, NT (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2016) 12. At
https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/asylum-seekers-and-refugees/publications/health-and-wellbeing-children-immigration (viewed 11 September 2017).
94 As indicated by a comparison of the issues raised in the documents referred to above.
95 See, for example, Robert Cornall, Review into the events of 16-18 February 2014 at the Manus
Regional Processing Centre (Department of Immigration and Border Protection, 23 May 2014). At
https://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/Documents/reviews-and-inquiries/review-robertcornall.pdf (viewed 11 September 2017); Philip Moss, Review into recent allegations relating to
conditions and circumstances at the Regional Processing Centre in Nauru (Department of Immigration
and Border Protection, 6 February 2015) 23–51. At
https://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/Documents/reviews-and-inquiries/reviewconditions-circumstances-nauru.pdf (viewed 11 September 2017); Select Committee on the recent
allegations relating to conditions and circumstances at the Regional Processing Centre in Nauru,
Parliament of Australia, Taking responsibility: Conditions and circumstances at Australia’s Regional
Processing Centre in Nauru (August 2015). At
http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Regional_processing_Nauru/Regi
onal_processing_Nauru/~/media/Committees/nauru_ctte/Final_Report/report.pdf (viewed 11
September 2017).
96 For example, interviews and assessments conducted by the Commission in November 2015 with
children and families who had been subject to third country processing in Nauru revealed high levels
of trauma and developmental risk amongst these children. See Elizabeth Elliott and Hasantha
Gunasekera, The health and well-being of children in immigration detention: Report to the Australian
Human Rights Commission – Monitoring Visit to Wickham Point Detention Centre, Darwin, NT
(Australian Human Rights Commission, 2016). At https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/asylumseekers-and-refugees/publications/health-and-well-being-children-immigration (viewed 11 September
2017).
97 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR monitoring visit to Manus Island, Papua
New Guinea, 23 to 25 October 2013 (2013) 24. At http://www.unhcr.org/enau/publications/legal/58117aff7/unhcr-monitoring-visit-to-manus-island-papua-new-guinea-23-to-25october.html (viewed 11 September 2017); United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR
monitoring visit to the Republic of Nauru, 7 to 9 October 2013 (2013) 25. At http://www.unhcr.org/en-48