Again, we're speaking as a human rights organization, but I think we do need to question whether using detention as a deterrent is appropriate in the first place. I think you need to look at it. Is the person identified? Does the person represent a danger to the community, to the public? Is the person likely to abscond? Will they cooperate if they have a refugee claim or for their removal? If those conditions are met, then there's really no appropriate reason to detain the person.
To just say that mandatorily we're going to detain people for a year is arbitrary, and it is, frankly, punitive. That's the problem we have here.
It's not particularly strategic. In fact, when you look at the Australian model, where they did try mandatory detention, they basically found that—and I'm quoting the head of Australia's department of immigration—“Detaining people for years has not deterred anyone from coming”. I have supporting quotes from the immigration minister as well.