Understanding Immigration Detention
The department operates immigration detention centres to provide accommodation for people detained under the Migration Act 1958.
Immigration detention centres are located at:
- Villawood (established in Sydney in 1976)
- Maribyrnong (established in Melbourne in 1966)
- Perth (established in 1981)
- Christmas Island (established in September 2001)
- Northern Territory (established at Darwin in 2006)
- Curtin (established in Derby in 2010)
- Scherger (established at Weipa in 2010).
See: Immigration Detention Facilities
Immigration Residential Housing provides a flexible and supportive detention arrangement allowing people to live in family style accommodation while being detained. Immigration Residential Housing is available in Sydney at Villawood (established in 2006), Perth (established in 2007) and Port Augusta (established April 2010).
See: About Immigration Residential Housing
Immigration Transit Accommodation provides hostel-style accommodation to house people who are assessed as a low security risk. Immigration Transit Accommodation is available in Brisbane (operational since 2007) and Melbourne (operational since 2008).
See: Immigration Transit Accommodation
Alternative Places of Detention (APOD) can accommodate any person who is in immigration detention. All people in immigration detention facilities (including APOD) are not free to come and go but supervised excursions outside the facilities are considered by the detention services provider on a case-by-case basis.
See: Alternative Places of Detention (APOD)
Some immigration detention facilities are no longer operational. Facilities at Woomera (SA) and near Singleton (NSW) were handed back to the government according to the 2006 Budget announcements. From August 2007, the Baxter immigration detention centre stopped operating as an immigration detention facility.
Reports on the number of people residing in each of the immigration detention facilities are updated regularly.
See: Statistics
More information
More information is available to help you further understand immigration detention.