JRS Australia calls for an end to offshore processing through new Senate inquiry
13 February 2026
Today, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Australia lodged a submission to the Senate Inquiry into offshore processing and resettlement arrangements.
Our submission is grounded in more than a decade of walking alongside people subject to Australia’s punitive asylum system, including those now living in Australia after prolonged detention both onshore and offshore.
In our community, we see the human cost very clearly.
People remain without permanent visas more than a decade after arrival. Families are separated. Some live with serious health conditions sustained in detention.
And now, following the Nauru deal, many of the people we serve face the devastating prospect of re-detention and permanent transfer to Nauru.
Our call to the Australian government
We are calling on the Australian government to immediately cease Australia’s shameful offshore detention practices and pursue humane and dignified onshore alternatives that support families to live safely and permanently in our community.
This means:
- an immediate end to offshore processing and third-country transfers
- the return of all transferred individuals to Australia
- safe, permanent and dignified protection pathways
- transparency, oversight and procedural fairness
Fairness, dignity and safety should be the bare minimum standards afforded to people who come to Australia seeking our protection and a secure future for their families.
Instead, families face a system designed to punish people for seeking asylum. A punishment that can last decades and has led to systemic disenfranchisement, inter-generational trauma, and an endemic lack of access to the basic human rights afforded to Australian citizens.
We are proud to have been able to share the stories of some brave survivors of Australia’s offshore detention regime, and we are deeply grateful to the members of our community who prepared and lodged their own submissions to the Inquiry.
Your courage inspires us and it is the most important step towards greater public accountability and an end to this harmful practice.
Take Action
Offshore processing has caused profound harm and extraordinary public cost. It must end. If you would like to take action:
