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REFUGEE REVIEW TRIBUNAL


NAME OF COLLECTION

Refugee Review Tribunal Statistics


OVERVIEW

The Refugee Review Tribunal is an independent merits review tribunal which commenced operations on 1 July 1993. Its main function is to review decisions made by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to refuse or cancel protection visas to non-citizens in Australia. A criterion for the grant of a protection visa is the person is a non-citizen in Australia to whom Australia has protection obligations under the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees. The Tribunal also has the power, in respect of certain 'transitory persons', to conduct an assessment of whether a person is covered by the definition of a 'refugee' under the Convention.

The operations of the Tribunal are governed by the Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994. In conducting a review of a decision to refuse or cancel a protection visa, the Tribunal looks at the issues and evidence afresh. It considers material relating to the protection visa application, including DIAC's file, any further submissions from the applicant and information from other sources available to the Tribunal. It decides whether the applicant is a person to whom Australia has protection obligations, which includes consideration of whether they, or a member of their family, is a refugee within the meaning of the Convention. The Tribunal has the power to affirm DIAC's decision, vary the decision, set the decision aside and substitute a new decision, or remit the matter to DIAC for reconsideration.

While hearings held by the Tribunal are confidential and not open to the public, some of the Tribunal's decisions are published. Published decisions do not contain names or anything which may identify an applicant or member of an applicant's family.

General statistical information relating to the Tribunal's performance is also available online. The information is updated each month and cumulative for the year to date. Some data are available from 1993-94.


SCOPE

Data includes the number of cases lodged with the Refugee Review Tribunal and their outcomes (decisions). There is a time period for applications which cannot be extended (i.e. persons in immigration detention must apply within 7 working days of the date they were notified by DIAC of their decision and within 28 calendar days for persons not in detention).


DATA DETAIL

• Cases lodged by country of reference
  • Detention
  • Non-detention
• Decisions by country of reference
  • Set aside
  • Affirmed
  • No jurisdiction (withdrawn and other)
• Cases on hand by country of reference
  • Detention
  • Non-detention