18 Detained after Operation in Port Melbourne
Media Release - DPS 14/2003
Eighteen men are in immigration detention following an operation in Port Melbourne this morning, the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) said today.
Of the 18 men detained, 13 were found to be in Australia illegally and 5 were working in breach of their visa conditions. One man, who was initially detained with the 18, has since been released as it has been proved that he is legally in Australia.
Immigration officers had been planning the operation at a major building site in Port Melbourne with the assistance of Victorian and Australian Federal Police, and Australian Taxation Office staff, since the New Year.
The 18 men are all Chinese nationals and they have been detained at the Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre in Melbourne as required by law, where they will remain until they are either removed or they obtain valid authority to remain in Australia.
The Department decided to carry out the operation following community information that a number of people appeared to be working illegally on the site. It is the largest compliance field operation carried out at a building site in Victoria.
Immigration officers make regular visits to workplaces in many parts of Australia, such as restaurants, farms, shops, offices, factories and brothels, in an effort to detect and locate people who are in the country illegally or who are working illegally. DIMIA may also issue warning notices to employers or labour suppliers who are found to have employed illegal workers.
In the 2001-02 financial year, the Department located 17,307 overstayers
and people breaching visa conditions nationally. The number of locations
has increased significantly since 2000-01, when 14,238 overstayers
and people breaching visa conditions were detained.
20 February 2003
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