Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Challenging the Immigration Minister’s power to play god

In Australia, the Minister for Immigration has the power to play God. Many of the Immigration Minister’s powers profoundly affect the lives of people seeking asylum. But he is not accountable in how he exercises them, and his decisions are often either difficult or impossible to review.

There is a real risk that unfair decisions will be made, and there is often no legal avenue to correct mistakes.  As a result, people’s lives hang in the balance, subject to the whim of the Minister.

RAP investigated the growth and breadth of these powers and completed a detailed report of our findings. The report was launched at an event at the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law on 4 May 2017.