The Australian government has long maintained that the standard of healthcare provided in its immigration detention centres is broadly comparable with health services available within the Australian community. Drawing on the literature from prison healthcare, this article examines (1) whether the principle of equivalency is being applied in Australian immigration detention and (2) whether this standard of care is achievable given Australia’s current policies. This article argues that the principle of equivalency is not being applied and that this standard of health and healthcare will remain unachievable in Australian immigration detention without significant reform. Alternate approaches to addressing the well documented issues related to health and healthcare in Australian immigration detention are discussed. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Immigration detention Asylum seekers Equivalency Refugees healthcare Clinical ethics

refugee Australia human Refugees Confidentiality Humans migrant Emigrants and Immigrants standards prison legislation and jurisprudence Prisons organization and management migration health care quality Quality of Health Care Emigration and Immigration Healthcare Disparities health care disparity