UN arbitrary detention working group visits ACT

2 December 2025

The ACT National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) met today with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) as part of its official visit to Australia from 1 to 12 December 2025, to assess the situation regarding people deprived of their liberty in Australia.  The ACT NPM is made up of the Commission, the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services and the ACT Ombudsman.

The WGAD delegation – comprising two members of the group, Ganna Yudkivska (Chair-Rapporteur) and Matthew Gillett (Vice-Chair on Communications) and members of the Secretariat – will visit the ACT, New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. They will meet Government officials, independent oversight bodies, civil society groups and other relevant stakeholders during the visit.

The experts will also gather information from places where people are deprived of their liberty, including prisons, police stations, youth detention, immigration detention and mental health facilities.

The ACT NPM along with other members of the Australian NPM provided WGAD with a submission ahead of the visit outlining detention-related issues of concern relevant to their mandate. This submission will be published following the conclusion of the visit.

WGAD will share its preliminary observations at a press conference in Sydney on 12 December 2025. More information about the WGAD can be found here: Working Group on Arbitrary Detention | OHCHR

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