The voices of the detained

· 5597 people in immigration detention;

· 2035 people have been held for longer than a year in detention;

· 600 people in detention are stateless with no country for return;

· 42 people face indefinite detention with no reason given as a result of unpublicized decisions; and

· 1591 are refugees waiting for security checks

ASIO has said that, "it is not a requirement under the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 that irregular maritime arrivals remain in detention during the security assessment process."

Article 1FA of the Refugee Convention is a safeguard provision under which those who have committed a crime against peace, a war crime or a crime against humanity cannot claim refugee status.

"This is inherent in Australia's refugee process," notes Ms Curr. Consequently, there are already built in security protections in our legislation to weed out those not deserving of refugee status or who may be a security threat. The ASIO checks, while undoubtedly necessary, are an added form of protection.

"The costs of detention are escalating, both in the deteriorating mental health of asylum seekers and the exorbitant cost to taxpayers," says Mr Power.

In Darwin Detention Centre, Ms Curr says, "there are now 37 people, who have been found to be refugees and therefore cannot be returned to their country of origin, but who ASIO has decided are a security threat."

These genuine refugees cannot be released from detention and have been "condemned to a life of long-term, indefinite detention in Australia," says Ms Curr.

Asylum seekers who have been interviewed by ASIO were told that they were not allowed to discuss the content of their interviews. Some sought legal advice on this issue and it has been found that many of the "interviews had nothing to do with what happened in the country of origin," says Ms Curr.