2 State Governments in Australia Block UN Visits to Prisons

The gap between how human rights groups view incarcerated people, and how governments in Australia view them, continues to be wide. When questioned during budget estimates about what the government’s concerns regarding U.N. visits were, Lee argued that the SPT was an “unelected body” who were looking for “spurious issues.” “What I’m worried about is things like them coming back and saying our white bread is sliced too thinly or our stairs are too narrow… or that we should have blinds on our cells to give inmates more privacy.” When asked if these were not important matters in accordance with the standards set by the subcommittee from previous visit to facilities, Lee replied that they were “trivial matters.” The executive director of the Western Australian justice association, Tom Penglis, was quick to observe the potential hypocrisy Australia could be accused of in light of the NSW and Queensland government’s actions. “It is easy to imagine a situation where a country like Russia or China receives criticism from the West for refusing access to U.N. inspectors, and then points to the NSW government’s actions as an example of Western hypocrisy.” In her opening remarks to the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva on the November 14, Australian Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay drew attention to the need for Australia to “ensure compliance with obligations under OPCAT.” She said, “The suspension of this visit was highly regrettable, and we would urge the Australian Government to assure this Committee that these issues can be resolved so that the visit may be recommenced.” The cancellation comes at time of controversy in Australia, as many members of the police force – in several states – are facing claims of violence in prisons, racism, and overall negligence toward incarcerated people. The Western Australian government has consistently defended the facility, which WA’s prisons inspector Eamon Ryan labelled “a failure.” In a statement he observed, “All of are saying the same thing: the excessive lockdowns, critical incidents, self-harms… all leading to crisis.” “One complaint or allegation is one too many.” In Queensland, the police force was accused of clear culture problems by the state’s human rights commissioner, Scott McDougall, after leaked audio revealed officers at the Brisbane watch house using “racist” and “offensive” language toward Aboriginal and Nigerian inmates. AHRC President Emeritus Rosalind Croucher argued this, stating: “By blocking access to facilities, the NSW and Queensland governments have raised questions about why access is being denied and if the rights, health and safety of people being detained in these facilities are at risk.” For Australia, with an increasing prison population in facilities that have been heavily criticized previously by international bodies, these incidents serve as a reminder that the gap between how human rights groups view incarcerated people, and how the governments in Australia view them, continues to be wide.