PIAC made a submission to the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment ahead of its country visit to Australia in October 2022.
Our submission focuses on two key areas in Australia’s national system of onshore immigration detention: access to healthcare and the misuse of restraints, such as handcuffing. PIAC urged the Sub-Committee to carefully consider the health implications of immigration detention in Australia, including the serious consequences of prolonged detention. We submitted that the current system is in breach of international law and out of step with Australian community standards.
The submission includes recommendations on visiting priorities for the Committee, setting out reasons for those recommendations, as well as recommendations as to how Australia can better fulfill its OPCAT obligations.
