List of Australian immigration detention facilities

A sign at the entrance of the former Baxter Detention Cent, taken in 2006.
The entrance of the Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre, taken in April 2003, following closure of the Centre.

This is a list of current and former Australian immigration detention facilities. Immigration detention facilities are used to house people in immigration detention, and people detained under the Pacific Solution, and Operation Sovereign Borders.

Most facilities were operated by Australasian Correctional Management (a subsidiary of G4S) under contract from the Department of Immigration until 2003, when ACM exited the market. Between 2003 and 2009, G4S was appointed as the contractor to manage a large number of facilities. Its contract was not renewed and in 2009 Serco Australia was awarded a five-year contract. The offshore processing centres on Nauru and Manus were operated by Broadspectrum (formerly known as Transfield Services), with security sub-contracted to Wilson Security, and later by Canstruct International. The new centres in Lorengau have security by Paladin Group.

Australian government immigration detention centres in Australia and offshore
Facility Status Classification Managed Opened Closed Capacity
nominal; [surge] 		Location
Baxter Immigration Reception and Processing Centre Closed Maximum Australasian Correctional Management (G4S subsidiary) September 2002 August 2007 660; [220] Cultana, South Australia
Christmas Island Immigration Reception and Processing Centre Operational Maximum G4Sserco and mss security sec s10,[1] then Serco 2001–2008 (temporary), 2008–present 800; [688] Christmas Island
Cocos Island Contingency Reception Centre Closed Maximum Australasian Correctional Management (G4S subsidiary)serco and mss security September 2001 March 2002 West Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Curtin Immigration Reception and Processing Centre Closed Maximum Serco subcontractors mss security April 2010 (reopened) September 2014 1,500 RAAF Curtin, Western Australia
Darwin Alternative Place of Detention Opening [2] Medium Department of Immigration and Border Protection 585 Darwin Airport, Northern Territory
Inverbrackie Alternative Place of Detention Closed Medium Serco 18 December 2010 Mid 2014 400 Woodside, South Australia
Leonora Alternative Place of Detention[3] Closed Medium Serco 2010 2014 210 Leonora, Western Australia
Manus Regional Processing Centre[4] Closed Maximum G4S, then Broadspectrum with security subcontracted to Wilson Security[5] 2001–2004, 2012– October 2017 31 October 2017 1100[6] Los Negros Island, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea
East Lorengau Refugee Transit Centre Operational Medium Security and some services by Paladin Group 2017 213[7] or possibly 280[8] Lorengau, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea
West Lorengau Haus Operational Medium Security and some services by Paladin Group 2018 111[7] Lorengau, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea
Hillside Haus Operational Medium Security and some services by Paladin Group 2018 98[7] Lorengau, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea
Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre Closed[9] Maximum Global Solutions (former G4S subsidiary).[10] 1983 2018 75; [5] Maribyrnong, Victoria
Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation Open ? Serco 2008 396[11] Broadmeadows, Victoria[12]
Nauru Regional Processing Centre Operational Maximum Broadspectrum with security subcontracted to Wilson Security,[13][5] and then later Canstruct (October 2017 – November 2018) 2001–2008, 2012–present[14] 1,200 Nauru
Northern Immigration Detention Centre Operational Maximum Department of Immigration and Border Protection August 2001 382; [164] Coonawarra, Northern Territory
Perth Immigration Detention Centre Operational Maximum Department of Immigration and Border Protection 1981 55; [9] Perth Airport, Western Australia
Pontville Immigration Detention Centre[3] Closed Medium Serco August 2011 September 2013 400 Brighton Army Camp, Pontville, Tasmania
Port Augusta Immigration Residential Housing[3] Closed Medium Serco 2010 2014 64 Port Augusta, South Australia
Port Hedland Immigration Reception and Processing Centre Closed Maximum Australasian Correctional Management (G4S subsidiary) 1991 April 2003 600 Port Hedland, Western Australia
Scherger Immigration Detention Centre[3] Closed Maximum Serco 2010 2014 596 RAAF Scherger, Queensland
Sydney Immigration Residential Housing Operational Medium Serco[15] 2006 48 Villawood, New South Wales
Villawood Immigration Detention Centre Operational Maximum Serco[16] 1981 510; [190] Villawood, New South Wales
Wickham Point Immigration Detention Centre Closed Maximum Department of Immigration and Border Protection 8 December 2011 July 2016 1,000 Wickham, Northern Territory
Woomera Immigration Reception and Processing Centre Closed Maximum Australasian Correctional Management (G4S subsidiary) November 1999 April 2003 1,500 Woomera, South Australia
Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre Operational Maximum Serco[17] 27 June 2012 600 Northam, Western Australia

References

  1. ^ "Immigration Detention Services". G4S. 2008. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  2. ^ "Darwin immigration detention centre closes due to 'success in stopping boats'". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 February 2015. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d Ireland, Judith (14 January 2014). "Scott Morrison announces closure of four immigration detention centres". Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Manus Regional Processing Centre". Australian Border Force. Department of Immigration and Border Protection. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  5. ^ a b Farrell, Paul (24 February 2014). "Manus Island and Nauru centres to be run by Transfield in $1.2bn deal". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  6. ^ "The truth about Manus Island". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  7. ^ a b c "Cashing in on refugees, duo make $20 million a month at Manus Island". Australian Financial Review. 10 February 2019. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  8. ^ Ben Doherty (18 May 2017). "'Welcome to Lorengau': reality of detention camp on Manus belies holiday-style brochure". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Government shuts Maribyrnong immigration detention centre, citing fall in numbers". The Guardian. 2 January 2019. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Global Solutions Ltd – Corporate Watch". corporatewatch.org. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  11. ^ "Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation". globaldetentionproject.org. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Detention Facilities". www.abf.gov.au. Australian Border Force. 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Nauru Manus Island Fact Sheet" (PDF). Wilson Security. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  14. ^ Nauru Regional Processing Centre
  15. ^ "2011 Immigration Detention at Villawood, Section 4" (PDF). www.humanrights.gov.au. Australian Human Rights Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  16. ^ "NZer who died in detention centre 'had black eyes'". 5 April 2016. Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  17. ^ Davidson, Helen (18 September 2018). "Serco guard at Western Australia immigration centre accused of sexual assault". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 January 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.