Notoriously tough immigration detention centre is shut down
An immigration detention centre once described as “the harshest in Australia” and accused by refugee activists of having more incidents of guards using force on detainees than any other has closed and transferred more than 100 asylum seekers to other facilities.
An immigration detention centre once described as “the harshest in Australia” has closed its doors after transferring more than 100 asylum seekers to other facilities.
The Morrison Government will announce on Wednesday that Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre, in northwest Melbourne, has officially closed this week, with 107 detainees moved.
Maribyrnong had previously come under fire from refugee activists for having more incidents of guards using force on detainees than any other facility.
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Daily Telegraph can also reveal there are now just seven children remaining in Nauru — four of whom have been accepted to go to the US.
Three children were transferred to Australia in the days before Christmas.
The Federal Government has announced that the Blaxland compound in Villawood Immigration Detention Centre will be shut down in mid-2019.
The Blaxland compound currently has about 100 detainees who will be transferred to other centres over the next six months. Those remaining at Blaxland are “high-risk detainees” including foreign criminals whose visas have been cancelled awaiting deportation.
Home Affairs said that all transfers would be to other onshore detention centres and that no detainee would be moved to Nauru.
Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister David Coleman said that the closure of Maribyrnong and planned shutdown of the Blaxland compound was a victory for the Coalition Government.
“Under the previous Labor government, 50,000 people arrived on 800 boats, 1200 people tragically drowned at sea, and 8000 children were put in detention,” Mr Coleman said.
“At its peak in July 2013, there were more than 10,000 people being held in immigration detention facilities in Australia, including 2000 children.
“This government has stopped the boats, got the children out of detention and closed the once-full immigration detention facilities.”
Between 2007 and 2013, the then Labor government opened 17 immigration detention centres.
Centres closed in recent years include Wickham Point Immigration Detention Centre, in the Northern Territory which closed in November 2016.
In 2013, 1988 people had been detained in the centre, including more than 200 children.
In a statement to be released today, Mr Coleman said the closure of detention centres since 2013 had saved more than $500 million.
There are now eight onshore detention facilities operating in Australia following the closure of Maribyrnong. In October 2018, all immigration facilities on Christmas Island were placed into contingency.
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