This proposal has four components.

Component 1: End offshore detention

• This component would commence on 1 July 2019 and would:
  • abolish Australian funding for offshore detention centres, honouring all contractual commitments in place as at 1 March 2019
  • abolish the practice of removing unauthorised maritime arrivals in suspected illegal entry vessels from Australian waters (‘boat turnbacks’)
  • continue Navy operations and the current criminal penalties for operators of boats used for people smuggling
  • continue the defence in-depth operations to deter and disrupt people smuggling operations in neighbouring jurisdictions in the region, the strategic messaging campaigns, and the co-operative diplomatic dialogue and support
  • use existing onshore detention facilities and, if required, set up new facilities in, or near, domestic regional centres
  • establish a seven-day time limit on onshore immigration detention, contingent on the completion of health, character and security checks
  • preliminary checks would be completed in seven days, and within current budgets
  • for cases where red flags were raised through a preliminary check, or where the preliminary checks could not be completed within a week, a seven-day extension could be sought from the courts
  • deploy a robust independent inspectorate for all of Australia’s detention centres
  • accommodate the majority of asylum seekers arriving by boat in community detention while claims are processed
  • abolish temporary protection visas.

Component 2: Increase Australia’s humanitarian intake

• This component would increase Australia's annual humanitarian program to 50,000 places per year from 1 July 2019, exclusive of the quota for Community Support Program places. There would be no priorities or sub-quotas for applications from boat arrivals or offshore humanitarian migrants. If the annual quota was reached, people arriving by boat would be held in Australian immigration onshore detention facilities and processed in the following year.
• In addition, up to 10,000 additional places would be created under the Community Support Program, with the following arrangements.
  • The Commonwealth Government would cover visa processing costs.
  • The sponsor would provide travel and accommodation costs, food and living expenses, and would assist with employment opportunities. This employment assistance would replace any Commonwealth Government assistance.
  • The refugee would have access to the same services as entrants under the humanitarian intake, with these costs covered by the sponsor.
• The Humanitarian Settlement Services Program would be restored, replacing the existing Humanitarian Settlement Program.
  • The Humanitarian Settlement Program replaced the Humanitarian Settlement Services Program on 30 October 2017.
• Ensure adequate and appropriate training would be provided to departmental staff so they are equipped to appropriately assess applications from lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/gender diverse, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) people seeking asylum, and adequate training and guidelines would be provided to the Refugee Review Tribunal.

Component 3: Additional funding to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

• This component would provide $500 million in funding to UNHCR offices in Indonesia and Malaysia, evenly distributed over four years from 1 July 2020, with the strategic aim of supporting multilateral efforts to stop boat departures and encourage asylum seekers to use existing UNHCR resettlement channels, in light of the increased humanitarian intake.

Component 4: Royal Commission into the immigration detention system

• This component would provide $60 million in 2020-21 for a one-year Royal Commission into the immigration detention system.