Report finds overcrowding to blame for riots at Christmas Island, Villawood

SEVERE overcrowding of Australia's immigration detention network has been blamed for riots at Christmas Island and Villawood earlier this year.

Villawood Detention Centre damage

SEVERE overcrowding of Australia's immigration detention network has been blamed for riots at Christmas Island and Villawood earlier this year.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen in March ordered an independent review of Serco's management of Christmas Island detention facility following a riot at the centre, and into his own department's handling of the disturbance.

When another riot broke out in April at Sydney's Villawood centre, razing a number of buildings, Mr Bowen included this incident in the report by former public servants Allan Hawke and Helen Williams.

The 184 page report found severe overcrowding sparked the riots, made worse by the high number of unsuccessful refugee applicants, and made 48 recommendations to improve management and security at detention facilities.

However, the report did not single out the Immigration Department or Serco as responsible for the flare-up of violence.

Mr Bowen said the government would accept all of the recommendations in the report.

He said at the time of the riots the detention network was under considerable pressure.

"We had a detention network dealing with a very significant increase in the number of people arriving in Australia by boat," Mr Bowen told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

"That put pressure on the detention network, and ... combined with the high proportion of people with an outcome that they have not been regarded as genuine refugees ... that leads to this sort of pressure and the sort of results we saw in March and April.

"That is very clearly a problem for the Department of Immigration and Serco to manage.

"This report has reviewed the preparedness and response, made recommendations going forward as to how these situations can be managed."

Mr Bowen said the report's recommendations would minimise the chance of future riots.

He said, however, he did not believe that managing immigration detention centres would miraculously become easier, and it would never be perfect.

"There will always be challenges and stresses in managing immigration detention."

Mr Bowen said the multinational company, Serco, had a tough job running the centres.

He said from time to time there were contract issues with Serco and appropriate action was taken.

"I think it is fair to say that the reviewers find that Serco carried out their obligations under the contract and there was no particular action or lack of action by Serco which led to these events."