After ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) in December 2017, Australia has had four years to prepare its National Preventive Mechanisms. Noting the deadline of January 2022, this article surveys the OPCAT-readiness of Australian jurisdictions. OPCAT aims to prevent ill-treatment in closed environments where people are deprived of their liberty through proactive and independent monitoring. The article observes that some Australian jurisdictions are not ready while others are taking a ‘bare bones’ approach to meeting Australia’s OPCAT obligations, and hence not paying adequate attention to the objects of the treaty.

在 2017 年 12 月批准《禁止酷刑和其他残忍、不人道或有辱人格的待遇或处罚公约任择议定书》 (OPCAT) 后，澳大利亚有四年时间来准备其国家预防机制。注意到 2022 年 1 月的最后期限，本文调查了澳大利亚司法管辖区的 OPCAT 准备情况。OPCAT 旨在通过主动和独立的监测来防止在人们被剥夺自由的封闭环境中受到虐待。文章指出，一些澳大利亚司法管辖区尚未准备好，而另一些司法管辖区则在采取“简单”的方式来履行澳大利亚的 OPCAT 义务，因此对条约的目标没有给予足够的重视。