21 March 2017
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Janet Phillips,
Social
Policy Section
This guide provides current statistics on
immigration detainees in Australia (onshore) since 1989–90. It updates the
appendices of a more detailed Parliamentary Library research paper, Immigration
detention in Australia (2013). The research paper includes an overview
of the historical and political context surrounding mandatory immigration
detention (introduced by the Keating Government in 1992) and details
of Australian Government immigration detention policy responses between 1976
and 2013. For an update on immigration
detention policy since 2013 see the Parliamentary Library research
paper, A
comparison of Coalition and Labor government asylum policies in Australia since
2001 (2017).
For statistics on the number of asylum seekers
who have been accommodated (offshore) at regional processing centres in Nauru
and PNG see the Parliamentary Library publications, Australia’s offshore processing of asylum seekers in Nauru and PNG: a
quick guide to statistics and resources (2016); and
The
‘Pacific Solution’ revisited: a statistical guide to the asylum seeker
caseloads on Nauru and Manus Island (2012) for details on the asylum cohorts
processed offshore during the Howard Government.
Statistics in this guide include:
Table 1: Immigration
detainees by year since 1989—the numbers of detainees held both in closed immigration
detention facilities (including Christmas Island) and in community detention during
the financial year. Detainees may be held for short periods in a single
financial year or may be detained for longer periods over multiple financial
years.
Table 2: Unaccompanied
minors in immigration detention—an ‘unaccompanied minor’ (UAM) in this
context is usually a person under the age of 18 years (without a parent or
relative 21 years or older) who originally arrived unauthorised by boat seeking
asylum. UAMs are mostly detained under community placements or in ‘alternative
places of detention’ where appropriate services and support are available.
Table 3: Community
detention—for those where a ‘residence determination’ has been made by the
Minister enabling them to reside at a specified place in the community, not in
an immigration detention centre. Families and UAMs are often detained under
these arrangements.
Table 4: Bridging visa (BVE)
grants—since November 2011, eligible unauthorised maritime arrivals (referred
to in departmental statistics as IMAs) have been released from immigration
detention on a Bridging visa E (BVE). These are temporary visas that allow the visa
holder to reside in the community while they wait for their immigration status
to be resolved.
Table
1: Immigration detainees by year since 1989 (includes community detainees)
Year |
Women |
Men |
Children |
Unknown |
Total |
1989–90 |
48 |
122 |
62 |
14 |
246 |
1990–91 |
57 |
126 |
66 |
11 |
260 |
1991–92 |
42 |
119 |
25 |
2 |
188 |
1992–93 |
49 |
197 |
17 |
3 |
266 |
1993–94 |
49 |
161 |
63 |
5 |
278 |
1994–95 |
286 |
500 |
376 |
14 |
1 176 |
1995–96 |
159 |
349 |
184 |
1 |
693 |
1996–97 |
120 |
727 |
73 |
|
920 |
1997–98 |
393 |
1 359 |
110 |
1 |
1 863 |
1998–99 |
649 |
2 852 |
216 |
|
3 717 |
1999–00 |
1 025 |
5 627 |
822 |
3 |
7 477 |
2000–01 |
1 390 |
6 053 |
1 344 |
4 |
8 791 |
2001–02 |
1 785 |
6 307 |
1 224 |
5 |
9 321 |
2002–03 |
1 536 |
5 157 |
427 |
4 |
7 124 |
2003–04 |
1 586 |
5 053 |
324 |
1 |
6 964 |
2004–05 |
1 600 |
5 989 |
381 |
|
7 970 |
2005–06 |
920 |
5 542 |
425 |
|
6 887 |
2006–07 |
794 |
3 988 |
276 |
|
5 058 |
2007–08 |
640 |
3 744 |
239 |
|
4 623 |
2008–09 |
642 |
3 534 |
206 |
15 |
4 397 |
2009–10 |
1 149 |
7 657 |
996 |
|
9 802 |
2010–11 |
1 752 |
9 595 |
1 787 |
|
13 134 |
2011–12 |
2 288 |
14 190 |
2 898 |
|
19 376 |
2012–13 |
N/A |
N/A |
6 264 |
|
38 147 |
2013–14 |
4 774 |
18 192 |
4 755 |
|
27 721 |
2014–15 |
3 317 |
9 236 |
2 666 |
|
15 219 |
2015–16 |
2 087 |
7 653 |
956 |
|
10 696 |
Sources:
-
1989–90 to 2007–08: Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC),
Joint Standing Committee on Migration, Inquiry into Immigration Detention in Australia, Submission 129d,
30 September 2008.
-
2008–09 to 2011–12: DIAC advice provided to the Parliamentary Library on
3 December 2012.
-
2012–13: DIAC, Annual report 2012–13, p. 181; and Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs
Legislation Committee, Answers to Questions on Notice, Immigration and Border
Protection Portfolio, Supplementary Budget Estimates 2013–14, 19 November 2013,
Question SE13/0326.
-
2013–14 to 2016–16: Department of Immigration and Border Protection
(DIBP) advice provided to the Parliamentary Library on 3 March 2017.
Notes:
-
An additional 1637 people were
detained in offshore processing centres in Nauru and Manus Island (PNG) between
September 2001 and February 2008. Source: C Evans (Minister for Immigration and
Citizenship), Last refugees leave Nauru, media release, 8 February 2008.
-
The total number of people detained
in offshore processing centres in Nauru and Manus Island since the policy was
reintroduced by the Gillard Government in September 2012 is not available.
However, the number of people accommodated in the centres reached a peak of
2450 in April 2014, including a peak of approximately 200 children. See E
Karlsen, Australia’s offshore processing of asylum seekers in
Nauru and PNG: a quick guide to statistics and resources, Research paper series, 2016–17, Parliamentary
Library, Canberra, 2016.
Table
2: Unaccompanied minors (UAMs) in immigration detention
Year |
Unaccompanied
minors |
1994–95 |
2 |
1995–96 |
1 |
1996–97 |
7 |
1997–98 |
10 |
1998–99 |
7 |
1999–00 |
53 |
2000–01 |
93 |
2001–02 |
198 |
2002–03 |
8 |
2003–04 |
1 |
2004–05 |
0 |
2005–06 |
1 |
2006–07 |
5 |
2007–08 |
2 |
2008–09 |
41 |
2009–10 |
476 |
2010–11 |
411 |
2011–12 |
1788 |
2012–13 |
1900 |
2013–14 |
134 |
2014–15 |
4 |
2015–16 |
<5 |
Sources:
-
1994–95 to 2007–08: DIAC, Joint Standing Committee on Migration, Inquiry
into Immigration Detention in Australia, Submission 129l,
30 September 2008.
-
2008–09 to 2010–11: Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation
Committee, Answers to Questions on Notice, Immigration and Citizenship
Portfolio, Budget Estimates 2012–13, 21–22 May 2012, Question BE12/0363.
-
2011–12: DIAC advice provided to the Parliamentary Library on
3 December 2012.
-
2012–13: Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation
Committee, Answers to Questions on Notice, Immigration and Border Protection
Portfolio, Supplementary Budget Estimates 2013–14, 19 November 2013, Question SE13/0327.
-
2013–14 to 2014–15: DIBP advice provided to the Parliamentary
Library on 16 May 2016. In 2013–14, 131 of the UAMs in immigration detention
were unauthorised maritime arrivals (IMAs).
-
2015–16: DIBP advice provided to the Parliamentary Library on
3 March 2017. There were no unauthorised maritime arrival (IMA) unaccompanied
minors in immigration detention and less than 5 non-IMA UAMs in 2015–16.
Table
3: Community detention
Year |
People held in
community detention |
2005–06 |
76 |
2006–07 |
143 |
2007–08 |
108 |
2008–09 |
196 |
2009–10 |
161 |
2010–11 |
1551 |
2011–12 |
2590 |
2012–13 |
* |
2013–14 |
4337 |
2014–15 |
3594 |
2015–16 |
1491 |
Sources:
-
2005–06 to 2007–08: DIAC, Joint Standing Committee on Migration, Inquiry
into Immigration Detention in Australia, Submission 129l,
30 September 2008
-
2008–09 to 2010–11: Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation
Committee, Answers to Questions on Notice, Immigration and Citizenship
Portfolio, Budget Estimates 2012–13, Answers to Questions on Notice, 21–22 May
2012, Question BE12/401.
-
2011–12: DIAC advice provided to the Parliamentary Library on
3 December 2012.
-
*2012–13: the Minister approved 3441 clients (1675 adults and
1766 children) for community detention in 2012–13, but the annual report does
not provide statistics for the total, including those already in community
detention. Between October 2010 (when community detention was expanded) and
June 2013, the Minister approved 7595 clients (4123 adults and 3472 children)
for community detention. DIAC, Annual report 2012–13, 2013, p. 183.
-
2013–14 to 2015–16: DIBP advice provided to the Parliamentary Library on 3
March 2017.
Table
4: Bridging visa (BVE) grants to unauthorised maritime arrivals*
Year |
Bridging Visa E
(BVE) grants to IMAs since November 2011 |
25 November 2011 to 30 June 2012 |
2,741 |
25 November 2011 to 30 June 2014 |
29,564 |
25 November 2011 to 30 September 2014 |
30,003 |
25 November 2011 to 31 December 14 |
30,939 |
25 November 2011 to 31 March 2015 |
32,780 |
25 November 2011 to 30 June 2015 |
34,365 |
25 November 2011 to 30 September 2015 |
34,955 |
25 November 2011 to 31 March 2016 |
35,607 |
25 November 2011 to 30 June 2016 |
35,776 |
25 November 2011 to 30 September 2016 |
35,834 |
Source: DIBP, Illegal maritime arrivals on Bridging E Visa,
various years (June 2012 to September 2015), Onshore processing statistics, DIBP website.
*Note: the Commonwealth’s Migration
Act 1958 describes asylum seekers arriving unauthorised by boat as
‘unauthorised maritime arrivals’.
Notes:
-
As at 30 September 2016, 28,842 IMAs
on BVEs remained in the community, (24,496 with a current BVE and 2,346
awaiting grant of a further BVE). The remaining 8,992 IMAs who were granted
BVEs had either been granted a substantive visa, departed Australia, returned
to immigration detention or are deceased. DIBP, Illegal maritime arrivals on Bridging E Visas, 30 September 2016.
-
Since 25 November 2011 successive
ministers have used their non-compellable, non-delegable intervention power
under section 195A of the Migration Act 1958 to grant bridging visas to
some IMAs waiting for a resolution of their immigration status onshore. On 19
July 2013 the Government announced a decision to transfer all unauthorised
maritime arrivals to offshore processing centres in PNG and Nauru. On 4 August 2013
an election was announced and during the election campaign the Coalition made a
commitment to clear the ‘asylum legacy’ caseload comprised of asylum seekers in
the community on BVEs and in immigration detention. For more detail see DIBP, Bridging visas for illegal maritime arrivals, fact sheet, DIBP website; and E Karlsen, J Phillips
and H Spinks, Migration and Maritime Powers Legislation
Amendment (Resolving the Asylum Legacy Caseload) Bill 2014, Bills digest, 40 2014–15, Parliamentary Library, Canberra 2014.
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