Investigations
These investigations draw on data published by Detention Logs or relate to the project. They cover broad areas of immigration detention including suicide, hunger strikes and deportations, and tell these stories in many different ways. They have been written by Detention Logs journalists and by other journalists from news organisations across Australia.
Read our Reporting Recipe to find out how to approach this resource for your own investigation or research.
New Research Highlights Prevalence Of Hanging Incidents In Immigration Detention
by Max Chalmers
February 18, 2016 - New analysis by Kyli Hedrick reveals the prevalence of attempted hangings among people held in Australian immigration detention centres, and suggests the ‘precipitating factors’ that lead to self-harm can be directly connected to government policy.
Deported by DIAC Into Perpetual Limbo
by Paul Farrell, Lawrence Bull and Luke Bacon
August 14, 2013 - Ziad Awad was bundled onto a plane to be deported from Australia in 2011. He had slashed his wrists and was gushing blood. That was just the beginning. He spoke to New Matilda and Detention Logs in Ankara, Turkey.
Asylum Seekers Deported with Violence
by Paul Farrell, Lawrence Bull and Luke Bacon
14 August, 2013 - The Department of Immigration has approved the use of a body lock, strongly resembling a restraint technique banned by police, to involuntarily deport people from Australia.
Assault, gang rape claims in detention rise
by Natalie O’brien
July 28, 2013 - The level of alleged gang rapes, sexual assaults, and sexual harassment of staff and detainees in detention centres has jumped dramatically as the number of asylum seekers arriving in Australia swells to a 10-year high.
Our Contract With Manus
by Paul Farrell, Lawrence Bull and Luke Bacon
July 23, 2013 - The contract for the management of Manus Island detention facility reveals that lower standards are expected for the quality of care of asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea.
Manus Oversight Committee Has Never Met, Immigration Department Admits
by Paul Farrell, Lawrence Bull, Luke Bacon and Oliver Laughland
July 15, 2013 - The body set up between Australia and Papua New Guinea to oversee the treatment of asylum seekers at Manus Island detention facility is yet to have a single meeting.
Salvos Worried About Nauru Chaos
by Paul Farrell, Lawrence Bull and Luke Bacon
June 25, 2013 - Salvation Army documents from 2012 reveal chaos at Nauru detention centre shortly after it was reopened. Detention Logs reports on dysentary, dog attacks and poor medical supplies.
Villawood Detention Centre Isn’t Secure
by Paul Farrell, Lawrence Bull and Luke Bacon
June 18, 2013 - Security breaches and systems breakdowns are commonplace at Villawood Detention Centre. But is Serco taking responsibility for the escapes?
Officials Admit Sedative Used In Detention
by Daniel Flitton
June 16, 2013 - Immigration officials pinned down and injected tranquilisers into at least two asylum seekers on Christmas Island - despite public assurances that “under no circumstances” are chemical sedatives used in detention.
Australian immigration detention centres: every incident mapped
by Nick Evershed, The Guardian Australia
June 12, 2013 - An interactive map that shows when and where security incidents in detention centres occured between October 2009 and May 2011.
Detention: Scenes From The Inside
by Lawrence Bull, Luke Bacon, Paul Farrell
June 11, 2013 - What happened during the Christmas Island riots? Detention Logs traces the pressure that led to an explosive riot, told through the eyes of those who were present and the Immigration Department’s own records.
Rise in hunger strikes and self-harm in Australian immigration centres
by Nick Evershed and Oliver Laughland
June 11, 2013 - Detention Logs incident data shows large increase in number of incidents at Christmas Island and Curtin immigration detention centres.
Detention Logs: how you can help
by Paul Farrell, Luke Bacon and Lawrence Bull
June 11, 2013 - Our site is committed to investigating Australia’s immigration detention centres. We hope our readers can help us - this is how.
The Everyday Violence In Our Detention Centres
by Paul Farrell, Lawrence Bull and Luke Bacon
June 11, 2013 - How common are self harm incidents and hunger strikes in Australia’s detention centres? The Immigration Department won’t release the dataset, so the Detention Logs team compiled their own.
Behind the Wire: A Graphic Portrait of Life in Detention
The Global Mail and Detention Logs
June 11, 2013 - Thousands of people were held in Australian Immigration Detention Centres across Australia from October 2009 to May 2011. Here are the Department’s own records about the lives of these people.
Villawood Contamination: Police Threaten Boycott
May 2, 2013 - Following revelations that easily spread asbestos remained unaddressed at Villawood, the NSW Police Association is threatening to ban officers from the controversial detention centre.
Toxic Villawood: Government Warned Of Continuing Asbestos Risk
April 30, 2013 - Reports of dangerous asbestos contamination, revealed under Freedom of Information, show hazards have been left unaddressed at Villawood, the nation’s largest mainland detention centre.