Paul's Blog: Visit to the Curtin Detention Centre

This week I had the opportunity to visit the Curtin Detention Centre in the remote north west of Australia.  I did so as a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Migration.

It was a very instructive visit – and highlighted the failure of Labor’s confused and inconsistent policy on asylum seekers.

That policy has driven a sharp increase in illegal boat arrivals.

With the main processing and detention centre at Christmas Island reaching capacity, the Rudd-Gillard Labor Government is now re-opening centres that had not been required for many years.

The Curtin Detention Centre, closed by the Howard Government in 2002, was re-opened just over a month ago.  It now holds over 300 detainees – all men from Afghanistan.  It is being expanded to reach a capacity of 900 in due course.

I had the opportunity to speak to some of the detainees at the centre.  One thing which struck me was that they did not leave their native Afghanistan with Australia in mind as a destination.

Instead, they joined boats in intermediate countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.  Effectively, they chose Australia at the suggestion of the people smugglers operating the boats.

This is the unfortunate consequence of Labor’s confused and inconsistent policy on asylum seekers.  They have given encouragement to people smugglers.

The result is that there are now over 300 Afghan men locked up in the remote Curtin detention centre.

In a further cruel irony, these detainees are presently in limbo because the Rudd –Gillard Labor Government, for political reasons, has frozen the processing of asylum applications for people from Afghanistan.

This seems to me typical of this government’s short term politically motivated approach.  They are desperate to sweep this problem under the carpet and get through the next election.

The visit also highlighted the worrying financial implications of Labor’s failed policy.  The capital cost of the new centre is over $150 million.  In addition there is a substantial monthly operating expenditure.  Government officials present could not tell me what it was, but they have promised to provide that information on notice. 

I came away from the visit struck by the human consequences of the Rudd-Gillard government’s administrative incompetence.  By sending confused and inconsistent signals on its asylum seeker policy, the Rudd-Gillard government gave false hope to desperate people.   They have been encouraged to undertake risky and dangerous journeys  - and so we have seen an increased inflow of boats, and in turn more detainees locked up in the desert.