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Portfolio Budget 2000-01 - Fact Sheet 2

Budget Fact Sheet 2: Long-term Strategy for the Provision of Detention Facilities

Australia's Migration Act 1958 requires that any person unlawfully in Australia must be detained and that, unless they are granted permission to remain in Australia, they must be removed from Australia as soon as practicable.

The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs administers the immigration detention function through the operation of immigration detention facilities.

The Government has implemented a long-term strategy for the provision of immigration detention facilities to address the expected detention needs arising from unauthorised arrivals and the detection of overstayers or those who breach visa conditions.

2000-01 Budget initiatives

  • the Government will allocate .1 million over the next four years to build new immigration detention facilities in the Darwin and Brisbane regions including:

    • the Darwin facility, which will incorporate core accommodation for 500 people with additional places provided through flexible demountable accommodation. The centre will be used primarily for unauthorised boat arrivals;

    • planning for a 200-bed Brisbane detention facility, primarily to accommodate unauthorised air arrivals and overstayers;

  • Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) to be refurbished to increase accommodation and improve facilities;

  • refocusing the redevelopment of Villawood, Sydney - announced in the Budget of 1998 - to meet the new, emerging and changing needs of detention requirements in Sydney;

  • the retention of Port Hedland Immigration Reception and Processing Centre (IRPC);

  • the consolidation and retention of Woomera IRPC;

  • the long-term planning for the replacement of Perth IDC.

Previous initiatives

To accommodate the rising number of unauthorised boat arrivals the Government has, in recent years:

  • reconfigured Port Hedland IRPC (WA);
  • reinstated Curtin IRPC (WA);
  • established Woomera IRPC (SA);
  • implemented redevelopment of Villawood.

9 May 2000

Note: The way that the GST affects Budget estimates, accounting statements and appropriations is described in Budget paper No. 4.