In early December, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention visited Australia. Their purpose was to provide guidance on how international human rights standards apply to prisons and places of detention.
Throughout the visit, the Working Group met with government and legal officials, as well as with representatives from NGOs and community groups. People with lived experience, such as myself, were also invited to attend and provide submissions.
The Working Group also inspected a range of places where individuals may be deprived of their liberty, such as prisons, police stations, psychiatric institutions, and immigration detention centres. During these inspections, the Group was to ensure private, confidential, and unsupervised contact with witnesses and other individuals, including detainees.
The delegation's plan was to conduct visits in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory.
The Northern Territory went on to block access to all government-operated detention facilities, due to “operational capacity, safety and workforce resourcing priorities,” according to local authorities.
In early December, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention visited Australia. Their purpose was to provide guidance on how international human rights standards apply to prisons and places of detention.
Throughout the visit, the Working Group met with government and legal officials, as well as with representatives from NGOs and community groups. People with lived experience, such as myself, were also invited to attend and provide submissions.
The Working Group also inspected a range of places where individuals may be deprived of their liberty, such as prisons, police stations, psychiatric institutions, and immigration detention centres. During these inspections, the Group was to ensure private, confidential, and unsupervised contact with witnesses and other individuals, including detainees.
The delegation's plan was to conduct visits in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory.
The Northern Territory went on to block access to all government-operated detention facilities, due to “operational capacity, safety and workforce resourcing priorities,” according to local authorities.
This incident follows a similar event in October 2022, when a separate UN body, the Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture (SPT), was forced to suspend its entire visit to Australia after being blocked entry to detention facilities in New South Wales and Queensland.
Despite being blocked, the SPT went on to deliver a scathing assessment of Australia's detention practices after its aborted 2022 visit, finding the use of restraints such as spithoods and the use of solitary confinement of people under 18 “may amount to torture”.
The United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention visit concluded on 12 December 2025, at which time the Working Group presented its conclusions and recommendations to the Australian Government and at a press conference.
Before giving their findings, they noted that it was only the second time they have been denied access to a whole region (Northern Territory), the only other being Rwanda, having previously been allowed into prisons in regions like Mexico and Mongolia.
The findings urge Australia to do the following:
More to come.
This incident follows a similar event in October 2022, when a separate UN body, the Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture (SPT), was forced to suspend its entire visit to Australia after being blocked entry to detention facilities in New South Wales and Queensland.
Despite being blocked, the SPT went on to deliver a scathing assessment of Australia's detention practices after its aborted 2022 visit, finding the use of restraints such as spithoods and the use of solitary confinement of people under 18 “may amount to torture”.
The United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention visit concluded on 12 December 2025, at which time the Working Group presented its conclusions and recommendations to the Australian Government and at a press conference.
Before giving their findings, they noted that it was only the second time they have been denied access to a whole region (Northern Territory), the only other being Rwanda, having previously been allowed into prisons in regions like Mexico and Mongolia.
The findings urge Australia to do the following:
More to come.
The death of a 16-year-old First Nations teenager in a notorious youth unit of an adult prison in Western Australia was preventable and predictable, and the result of “serious longstanding deficiencies in the system, a Coroner has found.
End-of-life care, also known as palliative care, is a healthcare process that aims to improve the quality of life and reduce the suffering of those who are terminally ill. Being incarcerated can make this stage of life even more complicated.
Including a Victorian man suing for his right to have Vegemite in prison, a new framework for rehabilitation being launched by NT Corrections, a QLD Watchdog calling separation rooms in youth prisons ‘inhumane’ and more.
Obtaining information from federal agencies is about to become subject to stricter rules under the Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025 (Cth).
Help keep the momentum going. All donations will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. If you would like to pay directly into our bank account to avoid the processing fee, please contact donate@abouttime.org.au. ABN 67 667 331 106.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
Your browser window currently does not have enough height, or is zoomed in too far to view our website content correctly. Once the window reaches the minimum required height or zoom percentage, the content will display automatically.
Alternatively, you can learn more via the links below.
Leave a Comment
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere. uis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.