The Human Cost of Australia’s Offshore Detention Policy
For more than a decade, mandatory offshore detention has been a cornerstone of Australia’s strategy to deter people who arrive by boat to seek asylum. Then there’s onshore detention where people without a valid visa are held in centres and transit accommodation on mainland Australia.
Today, we show the human cost of these policies on the mental health of people seeking asylum who were once detained.
What We Did
We surveyed 990 adult refugees and people seeking asylum living in the Australian community between 2011 and 2018. This included 775 people who had never been held in a detention facility and 215 who had been detained then released.
This is the largest known dataset available globally that measures the mental health of previously detained people seeking asylum.
What We Found
We found detention greatly increased someone’s risk of serious mental illness. People who had been held in detention were more likely to subsequently report symptoms of PTSD, depression and suicidal ideation compared to those who had not.
But not all detention experiences carried the same degree of mental health risk.
Offshore Detention
People who had been detained offshore were 16.5-20.2 times more likely to report PTSD, five times more likely to report depression, and 4.6-5.2 times more likely to report suicidal ideation, compared to people who had been detained onshore for less than six months.
Onshore Detention
Prolonged onshore detention also carried serious mental health consequences. People who had been detained onshore for six months or longer were 16.9 times more likely to report PTSD and 5.5 times more likely to report suicidal ideation compared to people who had been detained onshore for less than six months.
How Did We Get Here?
Since 2012, 4,296 people have been detained offshore on Nauru or Manus Island under the Australian government’s offshore processing policy.
This has run alongside a policy of mandatory onshore detention in detention centres and transit accommodation on mainland Australia.
Other Countries Need to Take Note
Our findings have implications for other nations currently pursuing similar offshore detention models – often called “third country processing”.
In February 2024, an offshore processing deal between Italy and Albania was ratified and in October 2024 these detention centres opened.
Conclusion
The evidence is clear: offshore detention is both costly and ineffective. It is essential to prioritize the mental health and well-being of people seeking asylum, and to reject policies that result in indefinite detention and trauma.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the human cost of offshore detention?
A: Our study shows that people who have been held in offshore detention are more likely to experience serious mental health issues, including PTSD, depression, and suicidal ideation.
Q: Why has offshore detention been a cornerstone of Australia’s policy for so long?
A: Offshore detention was seen as a way to deter people from seeking asylum, but our study suggests it has not been effective.
Q: What are the costs of offshore detention?
A: It costs almost $22 million a year to detain and process a single person offshore, whereas supporting them in the community would cost $3,962 a year.
Q: Are there alternative solutions?
A: Yes, evidence-based alternatives include timely and humane onshore processing, as well as supporting regional neighbours to provide welcoming resettlement environments for people seeking asylum.
Q: What should other countries do?
A: Our findings strongly caution against the continuation or establishment of immigration detention policies that result in people being detained offshore or for prolonged periods.
