Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre
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. The centre has recently become the subject of a Half:Life modification Escape from Woomera.
Background
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.
In the 1996 election Pauline Hanson was elected to the federal seat of Oxley. In her maiden speech to the House of Representatives, which instantly made headlines and the television news bulletins right across Australia, she expressed her concern that Australia "will be swamped by Asians". This message exposed a population deeply divided on the issue of immigration.
She went on to form the One Nation Party, which subsequently won nearly one quarter of the vote in Queensland state elections. It is accepted that one factor in its popularity was an underlying xenophobia in the Australian population. The main political parties picked up on this, hardening their immigration and refugee policies. Prime Minister John Howard's hard line on issues of "border protection" were widely seen as an effort to win One Nation voters back to the Liberal and National parties, and these policies received popular support during this period .
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
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. [1]
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 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.
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? [2]
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. [3]
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
- DIMIA Detention Facilites No Longer Operational
- Four Corners documentary: "About Woomera"
- HREOC Inquiry - Setting the Scene - Children in Immigration Detention
- Fire damage from arson on 30 December 2002 at Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre, South Australia, 8 January, 2003 / Damian McDonald
- Photographs of Woomera Detention Centre protest Easter 2002 / Tony Reddrop