Amnesty International Australia have just completed a visit to five of Australia's immigration detention facilities, two of which are holding children. The Minister for Immigration has committed to getting 50% of children out of locked immigration detention centres. As far as statistics are being updated it seems that this commitment has mainly been kept (since coming into being in at the end of June 2011). The extremely worrying factor is issues like the case that Amnesty have now reported on; an unaccompanied child detained in the Darwin Airport Lodge (DAL) for nearly one year. We know that there are many, many more cases of children detained for 6 months and more in locked facilities completely inappropriate to their age and needs. 528 children will spend tonight in locked immigration detention facilities, keeping the release rate at 50% is simply not good enough. Children do not belong in these facilties, it cannot be argued that half of them should stay there. 

Here is Amnesty's report, summary and recommendations. DAL case is listed on page 5