UPR NGO Coalition Report

FDPN was one of the lead authors of the Refugee and People Seeking Asylum section of the Joint NGO report for Australia’s 4th Universal Periodic Review.

Australia’s human rights record will face scrutiny in 2025-26 when the Australian Government appears before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva for its major human rights review, known as the UPR.

A coalition of Australian NGOs has submitted a report to provide an independent perspective on Australia’s human rights record.

Summary of recommendations:

The Refugee and People Seeking Asylum section (see p9 of the report) offers a summary of the most critical human rights concerns providing an intersectional analysis.

1. Australia must end offshore processing and evacuate remaining refugees to Australia, offering humane durable solutions consistent with international obligations.
2. Australia must end mandatory immigration detention and enforce strict time limits, protections, and independent oversight where detention is used.
3. Australia must repeal punitive migration laws.
4. Australia must abolish temporary protection and create a pathway to permanency for people impacted by the Fast Track regime.
5. Australia must restore a safety net to all people seeking asylum and end discrimination against refugees with disability.
6. Australia must ensure protection and targeted settlement policies for LGBTQIA+ refugees and gender-based violence survivors.

Read about key human rights concerns and recommendations related to Gender and SOGIESC status in the UPR report.