• Postcard from a north Qld detention centre

    by Pamela Curr, campaign co-ordinator at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre On the flight from Cairns to Weipa, a burly young bloke boarded wearing his “WE BUST OURS so WE CAN BUST YOURS” T-shirt with attitude. We were later to recognise him as a guard at Scherger Immigration Detention Centre in north Queensland. The drive

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  • Mandatory detention: expensive and ineffective

    Sarah* arrived at Tullamarine with her 10-month-old baby late on a Sunday night. She had a valid passport and a valid visa. She came from one of the North African countries where people are protesting for western style democracy against a dictatorship. A house raid and threats to her safety forced the decision to leave

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  • Community detention best for kids

    On October 18, 2010, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that the majority of asylum seeker children and their families would be released by June 30, 2011, prioritising unaccompanied minors and vulnerable children. At the time of the announcement, there were 738 children in detention. Of these 276 were unaccompanied minors. In the months after the

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