The Australian government has disclosed that an additional 200 Indonesian children were mistakenly detained as adult people smugglers, effectively doubling the number initially considered. In 2023, the federal court ordered $27.5m in compensation for approximately 220 Indonesian children who were wrongfully detained between 2010 and 2012 due to an unreliable wrist X-ray technique for age determination used by federal police. These children, as young as 12, should have been returned to Indonesia but were instead sent to immigration detention and maximum-security adult jails, where they faced prolonged detention until the error was discovered. A Guardian Australia investigation highlighted how the Australian Federal Police (AFP) continued to use this faulty method despite concerns over its accuracy. The court, led by administrator Mark Barrow from Ken Cush and Associates, is now exploring new records that suggest the compensation cohort could reach 440 people, significantly impacting the compensation process and costs. While some attribute this to the late revelation of information by the federal government, there’s ongoing conversation regarding the implications of mandatory sentencing laws and the misjudgment of the Indonesian children’s cases.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/feb/26/australia-government-indonesian-children-wrongly-jailed-people-smuggling-ntwnfb