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Tough new restrictions on visits to detention centres
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Serco — the company behind troubled UK immigration detention centres and prisons and now the contractor in Australia — has quickly introduced a tough new regime to inhibit visitors to the Australian IDCs. Under the new guidelines, Australians will have to apply 24 hours in advance for clearance for each visit. The memo, plumped up with corporate purple prose is an insidious document portraying a jailer in charge of people who have committed no crime. Not one, but two identity documents will have to be provided by those seeking to visit.
They will also have to complete applications forms — from where, unstated, but obtained in advance. Multiple visit applications will have extra conditions. Lawyers will also face tough new access provisions within restricted hours. Even under Howard’s regime visitors could turn up at the gate and gain entry with one simple ID. It was the influx of visitors that dramatically emphasised the plight of children behind the razor-wire and brought the change of policy in 2005. Now (PM Kevin) Rudd’s and (immigration minister Chris) Evans’ “humane” approach means detainees who are having problems will have to carry their emotional and psychological needs by themselves until Serco examines whether or not a friend is to be admitted after day or two waiting. The Australian fair go means nothing any more to the ALP, which secured our votes by promising so much — but delivering only perfidy. Trish and John Highfield are Crikey readers. |
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8 Comments
TRISH & JOHN - I’m with you! It’s shameful. I have a friend who visits Villawood Detention Centre in NSW on a regular basis. She’s taken several, mostly young unaccompanied men into her home while they get on their feet; either find a job or go to TAFE etc or both. she’s told me some of the stories and they’re all tragic and appalling. She’s frequently exasperated and ready to burst with the ‘go slow’ tactics or blatant racism, or the run around or ???(During Howard’s reign)One young man was mentally very unwell. They sent him to Queensland for ‘treatment’ at a private clinic. They then flew her up there when he was due to be discharged, and flew them both back to her city! This could’ve been avoided if they allowed him to be treated in a Sydney hospital or in private practice. This is just a small instance, there’s heaps of others. Some warders are OK, but, you only need a nasty bigot, and that’s enough to cause untold misery.
Several years ago, I wrote letters to two young men in Baxter. I lost contact, as I know one young man was in a bad way, mentally, due to his life of trauma - I could understand that if they were being put in solitary confinement as punishment, the last thing they’d feel like would be writing letters? I was delighted to see the older brother on YouTube during the campaign to reverse the injustice of them having to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars for ‘board and lodging’? He looked well, happy and I believe is going to Uni. His brother is OK too, although I didn’t see him - he may be still receiving counselling, poor man. I wept with happiness. Lovely young men from a lovely family who they both missed terribly. I felt so much anger at Howard, and sadly, Rudd & Co are continuing on the same lines, while pretending that they’re humane and ‘different’? Nonsense! It’s just shameful!
The more you(and the rest of the media) go on about it the further to the right they will go.
KEITH - I don’t agree, and it doesn’t make any sense. Howard was forced to change some of the horrific policies of his government as a result of public outcry, advocates, lawyers, human rights people, ordinary citizens, psychiatrists and even people(be it only a handful?) in his own government. Good for them I say! He also had to bring David Hicks home(even though he forced him to admit to a crime) and tried to water down WorstChoices - although that didn’t work. So I disagree with you. People’s determination to ‘go on about it’ got rid of Howard. We just need to let Rudd know, that we’ll get rid of him too if he doesn’t start adopting some of those ‘christian’ principles he purports to have!
If people didn’t “go on about it” the situation wouldn’t change! Workers have fought for change for hundreds of years. Employers don’t wake up one morning and think, gee whiz I should pay them more or stop being a bastard - every advantage or right has been fought for! Indeed, I wouldn’t have the right to vote if women(and some men) didn’t “go on about it” and reverse the unjust and sexist law. Australia led the way in the vote for women! Women were denied the right to be doctors, lawyers etc. We still don’t have equal pay, and if we remain on our bums, it’ll never happen. For example, how many rallies etc have you been a part of to redress this injustice? Violence against women and kids won’t change unless we “go on about it” and force every man to pledge that he won’t be violent, and won’t put up with it when his mates are. ‘Going on about it’ is the only solution, otherwise, politicians blithely carry on as usual!
Tug the forelock Keith, until they come for you.
How has Pooh Bear attempted to justify this?
Pooh Bear, otherwise known as Senator Evans, the man who would like to do the right thing if only he wasn’t snowed, by his department, the AFP, PM&C, Customs and saddled with mental weakness and moral turpitude.
Bruce Haigh
I don’t get it. Who is running Australian detention centres? Foreign constructors? Subconstructors? Builders?
Chinese labourers built Grand Hotel in Gleneg - Adelaide. Does it mean they should be making the Hotel policy on visitors? How does it work?
RENA - We’re going the way of the US, and it appears, the UK. The prison system in the US is run by private enterprise(most of them anyway I think?) The company that used to run Villawood and other detention centres in this country was an offshoot of the major company in the US that makes billions of profit each yr, and successive govts have made laws to ensure, that it now has more inmates in jail than most other countries on a per capita basis, and I believe that includes China. The name escapes me, but it starts with a “W.” GSL was the company that got the contract from the Howard govt years ago. It’s changed now, not sure who has the contract these days.
Park Lea prison in NSW was privatised about a week ago! It is an appalling situation, to have private, foreign companies running state prisons, when the Laws etc are made by our Parliaments- the state should also run the prisons. I think the detention centres should be closed down. They’re the most expensive way of holding asylum seekers who’ve not committed any crimes. Seeking asylum is a right not a crime!For example, it costs $1830 per day to keep a person in the centre on Christmas Island, as opposed to $238 at Villawood, and it’s even less to house people in community housing. Those figures are at 2007 - would be more now! Cost of the Pacific Solution, more than $1billion. Cost of processing each person in Nauru, Manus and Christmas island - more than $500,000
Cost of holding asylum seekers on the mainland as a percentage of the running costs, based on Dept of Immigration estimates - 3.5% The whole idea behind this is to keep asylum seekers away from the mainland so as to deny them the full legal rights that they should be entitled to - but aren’t entitled to the same avenues on excised land!
I don’t want the whole system to get any harder then it already is. I believe that the more oxygen this gets the more the ALP and the Coalition will move to the right.
Support for a move to the left is just not there in sufficient numbers ATM based on the polling, therefore I think the sooner the whole thing leaves the airwaves the better.
In the foreseeable future there isn’t the support needed to drive change in the opposite direction so I don’t want to see anything happen that enhances the move towards harder policies.
Liza 45
Cui bono?
The whole hell-hole building industry stinks to high heavens. Despite numerous cases of abuses and mismanagement i.e. ACM - Australasia Correctional Management kept getting their contracts renewed.
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