Law In
Order, Relativity and the National Justice
Project (NJP) teamed up to work on a number of related cases
focused on whether or not the Australian government owes a duty of
care to people who are detained in offshore processing
centres-specifically regarding standards of medical care for
refugees and asylum seekers detained on Nauru.
Since 2012, more than 4,000 people have been sent to the islands
of Nauru and Papua New Guinea as part of an offshore processing
program for refugees and asylum-seekers in Australia. It's been
a controversial practice, with many claims of mistreatment and lack
of protection arising from those held within the system.
The Australian government has since stopped sending new
detainees to offshore processing centres and has struck deals with
other countries to take on the resettlement of refugees who cannot
resettle in Australia, but a little more than 100 individuals still
reside on the island of Nauru-and questions about their
