The Wire

Proposed changes to the Migration Act which will see asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat processed offshore have been called a “backwards step” by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission. The Commission is particularly concerned that the amendment, currently being debated in parliament, fails to protect the rights of children who could be held at processing centres for an indefinite period of time. If the Amendment gets up, concerns are held it could essentially reverse recent reforms aimed at preventing harm to the mental health of children in detention.