Department of Finance and Deregulation - Compensation for immigration detainees

In July 2013, we applied under freedom of information laws for figures regarding the compensation payments made to people who had been housed in immigration detention.

We found that, from 2000 to 2013, that:

• Over $21 million had been paid in relation to claims of unlawful detention, and over 299 claims were lodged. 17 claims for unlawful detention were still open at the time of our FOI application.
• Over $6.9 million had been paid for breach of statutory duty; breach of duty of care or negligence, and over 150 claims were lodged, with 50 claims (a third of all claims in this time period) still open at the time of our FOI application.

The documents released to us are accessible here.

It is important to note that these figures do not include the Commonwealth's legal defence costs or compensation paid in relation to aggravated or exemplary damages. The latter are paid by the responsible agency.

This document provided an essential update on figures released to us in 2011, which can be accessed here.