Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre

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Protestors pull down a perimeter fence during an Easter Weekend process, when the facility was still operational.

The Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre (IRPC) was an Australian immigration detention facility near the village of Woomera in South Australia. It was opened in November 1999 in response to an increase in unauthorised arrivals, which had exceeded the capacity of other detention facilities. It was originally intended to hold 400 people, however at its peak in April 2000 it had nearly 1,500 detainees. After ongoing public pressure in response to several well publicised riots from 2000, accusations of human rights abuses, and capacity issues, the center closed in April 2003.

For much of its operation the detention centre was run by Australasian Correctional Management (ACM), a subsidiary of Wackenhut Security Corporation, under a contract with the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs. ACM was critcised over various practices, including failing to staff the Centre adequately, and concealing evidence of child abuse.

Contents

1 Background to the creation of the facility
2 Operation of the Woomera Facility
3 Further Controversy
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

Background to the creation of the facility

During the 1990s the Australian government enforced a policy of mandatory detention of unauthorised arrivals. All non-citizens arriving by boat without a valid visa were detained until they were either granted a visa, or deported.

Towards the end of the 1990s, a large increase in the number of unauthorised arrivals exceeded the capacity of the existing Immigration Reception and Processing Centres at Port Hedland and Curtin. Woomera IRPC was opened to accommodate this increase.

Operation of the Woomera Facility

The Centre was opened in November 1999, with a capacity of 400. This capacity was very quickly exceeded, as the boat arrivals continued. Nursing and administrative staff working there at the time have since complained that facilities were totally inadequate, and that it was impossible to provide proper medical care.

Most detainees applied for refugee status, and had no possibility for release until their claim had been finalised. Men, women, and children were detained at The Centre. The highest number of children detained at any one time was 456, out of a total population of 1442, on September 1, 2001. As at 26 December, 2003, the average length of detention for children was one year, 8 months, and 11 days. An unaccompanied child refugee had this to say:

I believe you [Australians] are nice people, peace seekers, you support unity. If you come to see us behind the fence, think about how you would feel. Are you aware of what happens here? Come and see our life. I wonder whether if the Government of Iran created camp like Woomera and Australians had seen pictures of it, if they would have given people a visa to come to Australia then. [link]

In June 2000 there were two days of protests. Approximately 480 detainees broke out and walked into the township.

In August 2000 there were three days of riots and fires. 60-80 detainees were involved, and tear gas and water cannons were used.

In November 2000 there was a hunger strike involving more than 30 detainees, some of whom were force fed in hospital.

Throughout 2001 there were repeated riots and confrontations between ACM guards and detainees. Water cannons and tear gas were used.

During 2002 there were a number of riots, hunger strikes, and lip-sewing, which included children. In January 2002 over 200 detainees started a hunger strike. Some threatened suicide in violent ways. Some swallowed poisons. Refugee advocates (such as the Woomera Lawyers Group and RASSA, argued that this showed the desperation of detainees. The refugees complained that conditions were harsh, that it took up to three years for their claims to be processed and that processing their claims had been suspended.

There had been similar protests before. This time protests were taken up by the national and international media and by national and international organizations. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees felt Australia should reconsider its policy. Mary Robinson the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights was first denied access to Woomera but later the Australian Government yielded to pressure.

The Centre was closed in April 2003, and all detainees were transferred to Baxter Immigration Reception and Processing Centre. It remains available as a contingency centre. 80% of those detained over the years had been found to be genuine refugees, the majority being issued with a temporary protection visa.

Further Controversy

The detention centre was a source of much controversy during its time of operation. There were a number of riots and escapes, as well as accusations of human rights abuses from groups as diverse as refugee advocates, Amnesty International, the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations.

In March 2002, the Secretary General of Amnesty International, Irene Khan, said:

It is obvious that the prolonged periods of detention, characterised by frustration and insecurity, are doing further damage to individuals who have fled grave human rights abuses. The detention policy has failed as a deterrent and succeeded only as punishment. How much longer will children and their families be punished for seeking safety from persecution? [link]

Throughout the controversy, Prime Minister John Howard and successive immigration ministers maintained that their actions at Woomera were justified in the interests of protecting Australia's borders and ensuring that immigration law was enforced. A 2004 Liberal Party election policy document stated:

The Coalition Government's tough stance on people smuggling stems from the core belief that Australia has the right to decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come. Deterrence has been achieved through excision, boat returns, offshore processing and mandatory detention. [link]

References

Brennan, Fr Frank (2003). Tampering with Asylum. University of Queensland Press. ISBN 0-70223-416-8.
Huysmans,J (2005) What is Politics an Open University text for the course DD 203.

External links