Australia holding people in immigration detention for record 689 days on average, report finds

Human Rights Watch says the average is 12 times longer than the US, showing how completely alone Australia is in the world'

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Australia is holding people in immigration detention for an average of 689 days, the highest on record and more than 12 times longer than the United States, according to Human Rights Watch, which has renewed calls for an end to the harsh and unlawful policy".

The brief detention of tennis star Novak Djokovic in Melbourne's Park hotel recently brought global attention to Australia's harsh immigration policies, but more than one month on, 32 refugees and asylum seekers remain in the same facility.