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23 January 2014Book page
1. What are Temporary Protection Visas?
Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) are a type of visa available to people who arrive in Australia without a visa and are found to be owed protection obligations. [1]As its name suggests, a TPV only permits the holder to remain in Australia temporarily (this can be contrasted with a Permanent Protection Visa (PPV), which grants the holder permanent resident status). TPVs can last for up to… -
23 January 2014Book page
2. Which people have been granted TPVs?
TPVs were (re)introduced by the Australian Government on 18 October 2013 through a regulation. [3] However, on 2 December 2013 the TPV regulation was disallowed by the Senate, with the consequence that no more TPVs can be granted. While the regulation was in force, between 18 October and 2 December 2013 at least three TPVs were granted to asylum seekers who arrived in Australia without a… -
23 January 2014Book page
3. What is the difference between a TPV and a bridging visa?
Like TPVs, bridging visas are temporary visas. They allow people (including asylum seekers) to legally reside in the Australian community while they are applying for a longer term visa, appealing a decision relating to their visa, or making arrangements to leave Australia. The key difference is that bridging visas are granted to asylum seekers before any decision is made about whether they… -
23 January 2014Book page
4. What are the Commission’s concerns about TPVs?
The Commission raised serious concerns about TPVs when they were used in Australia (with similar conditions attached) from 1999 to 2008. [6] Based on the negative impacts of TPVs on refugees when they were last used, the Commission is concerned that the reintroduction of TPVs may lead to breaches of Australia’s international human rights obligations, for the following reasons. Mental health… -
23 January 2014Book page
5. What does the Commission recommend?
The Commission recommends that all asylum seekers who are found to be owed protection obligations should be granted a PPV, with the associated entitlements to sponsor family members to come to Australia, and to travel outside of Australia. -
Rights and Freedoms
23 January 2014Book page6. Useful links
A Last Resort? National Inquiry into ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ in Immigration Detention (April 2004), Chapter 16 The end of temporary protection visas for refugees is a step forward for human rights (Commission media release, 14 May 2008) TPVs part of an inhumane system (Commission news story, 3 December 2013) -
Commission - General
22 January 2014PublicationAHRC Agency Multicultural Plan 2013-15
Multicultural access and equity policy: Respecting diversity. Improving responsiveness. -
Rights and Freedoms
22 January 2014Opinion piece
Freedoms versus anti-discrimination laws? A false debate
Responsibility, anti-discrimination laws, human rights and freedoms - these words have been at the center of an ideological debate about how to protect fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom from detention without trial. But if we are serious about securing these fundamental freedoms in Australian law, we must legislate to protect them, just as… -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
9 January 2014PublicationThose who've come across the seas: Detention of unauthorised arrivals
HREOC’s report, tabled in federal Parliament on 12 May 1998, deals with the policy of mandatory detention of most unauthorised arrivals and the conditions of detention for those detained. The report had its origins in the many complaints received by HREOC from, or on behalf of, people in immigration detention centres. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
8 January 2014Publication
An age of uncertainty - Inquiry into the treatment of individuals suspected of people smuggling offences who say that they are children
This report makes disturbing reading. It documents numerous breaches by Australia of both the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. As a nation that is understandably anxious that the rights of our own children should be respected when they come into contact with the authorities of other countries, it is troubling that between late… -
Commission - General
8 January 2014Book page
Abbreviations and Acronyms
You can view a list of abbreviations and acronyms that are used by the Commission. The list makes it easier to understand our website and publications. -
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
8 January 2014Publication
A last resort? National Inquiry into ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ in Immigration Detention
This is an important report. It deals with our treatment of children in the most recent wave of boat people seeking refuge and a better life on our shores. It does so in the knowledge that there is a tension created by the community expectation that the Government will defend Australia's security while simultaneously upholding individual rights - the notion of the 'fairgo' for all. The report…