committed by Australian troops in accepted for resettlement decreased from Afghanistan. 18,750 in 2020 to 13,750 in 2021. BACKGROUND In the context of the crisis in Myanmar, the government committed to temporarily extend Lockdown measures in response to the visas of Myanmar citizens already in Covid-19 pandemic continued for much of Australia, but did not permit family the year in major cities. Stringent border reunifications. restrictions also remained in place. In April, IMPUNITY all arrivals from India were halted due to the Delta variant outbreak there. Critics An Office of the Special Investigator was described this government action as racist established to investigate allegations of war and xenophobic because it did not impose crimes committed by Australia’s Special such comprehensive bans on travel from Forces in Afghanistan between 2005 and other destinations with similar outbreaks. 2016. However, no action had been taken by the end of the year against any of the 19 INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS members of Australia’s special forces referred The government’s first progress report on the for investigation by the Inspector-General of “Closing the Gap Agreement”, published in the Australian Defence Force in 2020. July, showed that targets for reducing incarceration rates of adult Aboriginal and LGBTI PEOPLE’S RIGHTS Torres Strait Islander people by at least 15% Attacks on the LGBTI community continued. had not been met. Whereas detention levels The government announced plans to among Indigenous children dropped slightly, introduce a revised Bill on Religious Freedom rates among adults increased. that included provisions that would allow Twenty-six Indigenous people were reported religious schools to refuse to hire or dismiss to have died in custody between July 2020 teachers on grounds of their sexual and June 2021, bringing the total number of orientation or gender identity. deaths to at least 500 since the 1991 Royal SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. No one had been held to account in In February a former staffer in the Federal relation to any of these deaths. Government revealed that she had been raped inside Parliament House in 2019. CHILDREN’S RIGHTS Although senior ministers were made aware Australia continued to detain children as of the allegations no action was taken against young as 10 years old, but efforts to raise the her alleged attacker at the time, who was only age of criminal responsibility progressed. In charged after the allegations became public. October, the Australian Capital Territory Recommendations, including for legislative committed to increase the minimum age of reforms, made by the Australian Human criminal responsibility to 14. Rights Commission in 2020 following its inquiry into sexual harassment in the REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS workplace had not been fully implemented by The brutal treatment of refugees and asylum the end of the year. seekers continued. This included their FAILURE TO TACKLE CLIMATE CRISIS indefinite and arbitrary detention within Australia, and in Nauru and Papua New The government continued to fund coal and Guinea, although the government announced gas development projects, often in violation of an end to offshore processing in Papua New Indigenous peoples’ rights whose land was Guinea by the end of the year. Those arriving affected. It failed to adopt carbon emission by boat were not permitted to apply for reduction targets consistent with its asylum in Australia. The number of refugees obligations under the Paris Agreement and Amnesty International Report 2021/22 79