Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Australia has contributed to a major new NGO report submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council ahead of Australia’s next Universal Periodic Review (UPR) – a global process that holds every UN member state accountable for its human rights record. 

Coordinated by a coalition of over 150 organisations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, legal, refugee, disability, women’s, and climate justice groups, the NGO report highlights serious ongoing human rights concerns in Australia, and outlines concrete recommendations for change. 

JRS Australia contributed evidence and recommendations regarding the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum, especially those impacted by years of harmful policies including offshore processing, mandatory detention, and the discriminatory fast-track system. 

“The people we accompany every day are living proof that Australia’s current policies are not only failing, but causing deep and lasting harm,” said Amelia Savage, Head of Policy, Advocacy and Communications at JRS Australia.

“This report reflects what we already know: Australia must do better to uphold the rights and dignity of people seeking asylum.”

What is the UPR? 

The UPR is a United Nations process that reviews each country’s compliance with its human rights obligations every four to five years. This will be Australia’s fourth review since the UPR began in 2006. The NGO report provides critical civil society evidence to inform the UN’s official review of Australia in early 2026. 

The last review in 2020 saw the Australian Government reject many key recommendations. This year we are standing alongside Australia’s civil society groups with one voice, to urge stronger action — including legislative and policy reform — to prevent further backsliding on fundamental rights. 

Refugees and people seeking asylum continue to be denied protection and dignity 

The Report details multiple areas where Australia is failing to meet its international legal obligations to refugees and people seeking asylum: 

• Offshore detention has cost over $13 billion and continues to harm people in Nauru and PNG, with over 900 medically evacuated refugees in Australia left without any permanent resolution. 

• Mandatory immigration detention continues without time limits or proper oversight, with an average detention period of 458 days. Women, LGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities face elevated risks. 

• The Fast Track system, now discredited, has left over 7,000 people in limbo with no pathway to permanent protection, despite living in Australia for more than a decade. 

• People seeking asylum are pushed into poverty, denied the right to work or study, and excluded from income support, Medicare, and the NDIS. 

• Women and LGBTQIA+ people seeking asylum face heightened risk of gender-based violence with few protections and fear of visa consequences if they report abuse. 

“This system forces people into cycles of homelessness, poverty, and fear,” said Gabrielle Leafe, Casework and Emergency Relief Manager at JRS Australia.

“The cruelty is not incidental. It is built into the policy architecture. That’s what needs to change.”

Our Recommendations in the Report 

• End offshore processing and provide permanent resettlement pathways for all affected individuals. 

• End mandatory immigration detention and establish strict time limits, independent oversight, and safeguards for vulnerable groups. 

• Abolish the Fast Track system and provide fair, permanent protection pathways. 

• Restore access to a basic safety net including income support, work and study rights, and Medicare for all people seeking asylum. 

• Ensure protection and inclusive settlement services for women, LGBTQIA+ people, and people with disability, especially survivors of gender-based violence. 

A National Voice for Human Rights 

This NGO report covers a wide range of pressing human rights issues, including the over-incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, disability segregation, homelessness, lack of climate action, and gender-based violence. 

JRS Australia stands in solidarity with our fellow communities and organisations calling for structural reform and justice, and supports the growing call for an Australian Human Rights Act. 

“This NGO report represents a nationwide movement for dignity, justice, and accountability,” said Josephine Rechichi, Acting Country Director at JRS Australia. “It’s time the Australian Government listens and acts.”

Endorse the report and demand action 

JRS Australia urges the Australian Government to respond to the NGO report with meaningful reform, and invites all individuals, community groups and organisations to endorse the report and join the call for change. 

Click here to learn more and read the Report in full.