Peter Dutton denies children in detention ‘deception’

Peter Dutton’s office has disputed claims that 10 children remain at Sydney’s Villawood detention centre.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has dismissed debate on the Villawood children as ‘beltway stuff’.

The office of Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has disputed claims by refugee advocates, left-wing media and the Greens that 10 children remain at Sydney’s Villawood detention centre, as the government celebrates the number of children in detention reaching zero for the first time in almost a decade.

The number peaked at 2000 under Labor, having risen from zero when Kevin Rudd took office from John Howard in 2007.

About 50 children remain in detention on Nauru.

The Guardian yesterday reported the status of 10 children was on Friday changed from “held detention” to “community detention”, but that they effectively remained behind bars, prompting Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young to accuse Mr Dutton of deception.

A spokeswoman for Mr Dutton confirmed the status of a number of children in Villawood had changed, but said that as of Friday, the children were living with family in townhouses adjacent to the detention centre where they were free to come and go during the day, and were no longer supervised by guards or behind locked gates.

The Australian understands a significant number of the children are from families where the father has received a negative ASIO ­assessment and remains in detention, and it is therefore considered in their interests to remain close to Villawood. It is understood they must seek permission from a caseworker to have overnight visitors or stay elsewhere overnight, as is the case for anyone else in community detention.

Speaking at a press conference in Brisbane, Mr Dutton confirmed all children on the mainland were now outside of “held detention” and dismissed debate on the Villawood children as “beltway stuff”.

“The same definitions apply today as they did before,” he said. “I think people want to know that from a peak of 2000 children under Labor, today we have no children off boats in detention, and that is a significant achievement of this government.”

Labor immigration spokesman Richard Marles said the opposition had made it “unquestionably clear” a future Labor government would maintain policy settings intended to deter people-smugglers.

Senator Hanson-Young called on Mr Dutton to rule out sending any children currently in Australia back to Nauru.