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New laws mean that immigration detention officers can now confiscate things like mobile phones, iPads and laptops, which were previously allowed in detention centres. If you’re facing time in immigration detention at the end of your sentence, this article gives some practical tips to prepare for the new rules before you go.
For many people in prison who are not Australian citizens, getting parole or finishing a sentence doesn’t mean going home – it means moving to immigration detention. People are held in immigration detention while they fight to get their visa back or wait to be deported. Immigration detention is not supposed to be a punishment, so there are different rules to prisons. That’s why mobile phones and internet access have previously been allowed – but the rules are changing.
New laws allow the Government to decide that certain items can be confiscated from people in immigration detention. It can be anything the Government believes is a risk to the health, safety or security of people (or staff) in detention, or threatens the ‘order’ of the detention centre.
Once the Government has decided that a particular thing is dangerous, detention officers then have the power to search people and confiscate the item if they think it is a risk. This includes using strip searches or searches with dogs.
Some items like weapons were already banned. But in November 2025, the Government decided that the following items can also be searched for
and confiscated:
This does not mean that mobile phones or computers are automatically banned for everyone. So far, they have only been taken away from some people. But the Government could decide to ban them entirely, or for certain groups of people, at any time. Other items might be banned in future too.
Mobile phones and the internet help people in detention to pass the time, keep in touch with family and friends, and work on their legal cases to get their visa back. People have also used camera phones to report poor conditions and mistreatment in detention to journalists or social media. And mobile phones let people call for urgent help if they are about to be deported.
Detention officers have a lot of power to decide who gets to keep a mobile phone and who does not. It’s easy to see how that power might be misused.
Despite the new laws, people in detention still have important rights:
Before you go to immigration detention, you should write down on paper:
Once you are in immigration detention, if an officer confiscates your phone, computer or other device, you should:
Getting familiar with these new rules now might help you to stand up for your rights when you arrive in immigration detention.
New laws mean that immigration detention officers can now confiscate things like mobile phones, iPads and laptops, which were previously allowed in detention centres. If you’re facing time in immigration detention at the end of your sentence, this article gives some practical tips to prepare for the new rules before you go.
For many people in prison who are not Australian citizens, getting parole or finishing a sentence doesn’t mean going home – it means moving to immigration detention. People are held in immigration detention while they fight to get their visa back or wait to be deported. Immigration detention is not supposed to be a punishment, so there are different rules to prisons. That’s why mobile phones and internet access have previously been allowed – but the rules are changing.
New laws allow the Government to decide that certain items can be confiscated from people in immigration detention. It can be anything the Government believes is a risk to the health, safety or security of people (or staff) in detention, or threatens the ‘order’ of the detention centre.
Once the Government has decided that a particular thing is dangerous, detention officers then have the power to search people and confiscate the item if they think it is a risk. This includes using strip searches or searches with dogs.
Some items like weapons were already banned. But in November 2025, the Government decided that the following items can also be searched for
and confiscated:
This does not mean that mobile phones or computers are automatically banned for everyone. So far, they have only been taken away from some people. But the Government could decide to ban them entirely, or for certain groups of people, at any time. Other items might be banned in future too.
Mobile phones and the internet help people in detention to pass the time, keep in touch with family and friends, and work on their legal cases to get their visa back. People have also used camera phones to report poor conditions and mistreatment in detention to journalists or social media. And mobile phones let people call for urgent help if they are about to be deported.
Detention officers have a lot of power to decide who gets to keep a mobile phone and who does not. It’s easy to see how that power might be misused.
Despite the new laws, people in detention still have important rights:
Before you go to immigration detention, you should write down on paper:
Once you are in immigration detention, if an officer confiscates your phone, computer or other device, you should:
Getting familiar with these new rules now might help you to stand up for your rights when you arrive in immigration detention.
What is the legal sentence period after which an inmate must reapply for the DSP?
Bail is a promise you can make that you will return to court. It means you can stay in the community (instead of jail) until your legal matters finish. If you are being held in custody and you haven’t been found guilty, you may be able to apply for bail.
I wonder if you could explain the new "No Body No Parole" law in New South Wales, where now people charged with murder or manslaughter need letters from the head of police?
This guide doesn’t assume fair treatment, but it hopes to offer some tools to help you navigate online court while in prison.
Generally, debts can be put into two categories. First, there are private debts (e.g. from a bank, a landlord, a car dealer, or ‘Afterpay’). Second, there are debts owed to the State (e.g. unpaid fines).
The concern for those who are subjected to government decisions is that they often do not get to see the integrity of the information which was considered by the decision-maker and don’t get to check if it’s correct.
One of the most important aspects of self-advocacy in prison is to understand the rights of prisoners and the limitations of power of prison authorities.
The criminal justice system deals with proof, not truth. The police and Crown present allegations; the defence rebuts them; the jury decides whether the Crown has met the required standard of proof. “Truth” and “innocence” are not part of the legal equation.