To move Immigration Minister Andrew Giles, a close factional ally of the Prime Minister and member of his praetorian guard, could cause more problems than it would solve.
In July 2008, about seven months after the Rudd Labor government was elected, a parliamentary committee visited what was then the recently constructed detention centre on Christmas Island.
Committee chair and Labor MP Michael Danby was agog at what he believed to be a waste of $396 million on an empty, 800-bed facility which he likened to a prisoner of war camp.
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Phillip Coorey is the political editor based in Canberra. He is a two-time winner of the Paul Lyneham award for press gallery excellence. Connect with Phillip on Facebook and Twitter. Email Phillip at pcoorey@afr.com
