Australia UN visit: Torture body cancels inspection over access issues

A United Nations torture monitoring agency has cancelled a visit to Australia because two states won’t give them free access to detention centres.

The Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) had been due to visit in October but suspended it after New South Wales and Queensland refused entry to some facilities.

It has now said not enough progress has been made to allow full access.

The Australian government has expressed disappointment at the cancellation.

The SPT, which is made up of independent human rights experts, was supposed to check Australia’s adherence to a protocol aimed at preventing torture and degrading treatment.

The country’s involvement in this was approved by the federal government in 2017 and allows SPT members to visit prisons, police stations and other detention centres unannounced.

But SPT Chairperson Suzanne Jabbour has said that despite Australia’s co-operation, there was no alternative but to “terminate the visit as the issue of unrestricted access to all places of deprivation of liberty in two states has not yet been resolved”.

The SPT added that it “could not ascertain that it would be able to resume its visit in a reasonable timeframe”.

A spokesperson for Australia’s federal Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, said the government deeply regretted the decision and that it doesn’t reflect the country’s “commitment to protecting and promoting human rights”.

He added that SPT visits in all other Australian states had been successful.

Since October, Queensland has made some progress in allowing the UN to visit mental health in-patient wards, access to which had been blocked over privacy concerns.

A bill aimed at removing legal barriers is currently being examined by parliament.

New South Wales Attorney General Mark Speakman has said his government had “consistently indicated” it supported the protocol.

The state restricted access to prisons in October, with the corrections minister telling local media at the time that officers at one facility had been right to deny inspectors access as they didn’t have proper approval.

“It’s really unnecessary for the UN to demand to come and demand to get into our jails,” said Geoff Lee, adding that the state had nothing to hide.

Australia’s human rights commissioner, meanwhile, has said the visit’s cancellation was “neither unexpected or undeserved”.

Lorraine Finlay told ABC News that Australia hasn’t treated the issue with the seriousness it deserves.

“I think there’s no doubt that it does damage our reputation,” said Ms Finlay.

“Australia wants to be a global leader when it comes to human rights, but it’s really hard to take on that leadership and advocate… when we’re not meeting our own international commitments.”