Understanding Immigration Detention
The department operates immigration detention facilities to provide accommodation for those detained under the Migration Act 1958. Immigration residential housing provides community housing style accommodation for couples, families and people assessed to be of low security or flight risk.
Immigration detention facilities 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)
See: Immigration Detention Facilities
A flexible detention arrangement allowing people to live in family style accommodation while being detained is provided by immigration residential housing. During 2006, immigration residential housing was opened in Sydney at Villawood and
in 2007 immigration residential housing was opened
in Perth.
See: About Immigration Residential Housing
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 and Port Augusta immigration residential housing stopped operating as immigration detention facilities.
Reports on the number of people residing in each of the immigration detention facilities are updated weekly.
See: Statistics
More information
More information is available to help you further understand immigration detention.