from the archive:

Immigration Detention Centre, Maribyrnong, Victoria

‘Shut down the detention centres’ - students protest at MIDC (From Green Left Weekly, 22 June 2005)

MELBOURNE — On 17 June, 35 people rallied outside the Maribyrnong detention centre to demand the closure of the facility. The protest, part of a series of actions to mark World Refugee Day, was initiated by Resistance high-school activists. Jazzmine Loughran from Preshil High School told the rally, “We can’t just soften mandatory detention. We have to end it once and for all. It is up to us to shut down all the detention centres and free the refugees.” Brianna Pike

About 50 people, led by socialist youth organisation Resistance, marched outside the Maribyrnong Detention Centre last Friday. The group called on the Federal Government to end the detention of all refugees in Australia.

Resistance spokesperson Brianna Pika said new legislation expected to be introduced to Federal Parliament this week, which will remove children and their parents from detention and give many permanent residence, was not enough.

"We were there to say it's not enough to have a softened manadatory detention policy. We need a real change to the racist immigration laws," she said.

Maribyrnong City Mayor Michelle MacDonald spoke at the rally. She told The Times the detention centre has always been a blight on the city. "I've always found it (the centre) to be the scourge of our city."

Cr MacDonald said she welcomed news the detention centre would not be increased by the previous 54 detainees.

A parliamentary committee has recommended the centre be increased by no more than 20 places.

from Maribyrnong's local paper, The Times

Brittany and Jazzmine organised the protest and later took part in and spoke at the World Refugee Day rally in the city on 19 June

MARIBYRNONG DETENTION CENTRE VIGIL / BBQ

The event was deliberately low key - the organisers even deciding not to use the megaphone - and kept away from the actual gates to the centre, apparently on the understanding that management for their part would not resort to the usual reprisal of banning visits, but they did anyway - though in fact no would-be visitors had presented themselves as of about 2.30pm. - apparently some did arrive later, and were denied access until everybody else had left. In addition to Craig Beale and Senator Lyn Allison from The Democrats, there were speakers from The Greens and Socialist Alliance, before proceeding to the BBQ itself.

Senator Lyn Allison has all along been a vigorous opponent of the Howard government's treatment of asylum seekers in general, and a champion of victims of MIDC in particular.

Vigil/BBQ at MIDC 23 April 2005

By 2.30pm between twenty and thirty people has taken up the following invitation from Craig Beale on behalf of the Australian Democrats:

Dear Friends
We would love it if you will join us to protest against ongoing human rights violations in Australia.
There is more information below and a print ready flier.[not attached here - mdc-watch]
We have 2 speakers thus far but would welcome more from like minded organizations and possibly even an ex detainee if you know of someone. We also need a megaphone or something similar so everyone can hear the speakers.
The invitation is to all, regardless of political affiliation.
Thanks everybody, and I hope to see you there.
Kind Regards
Craig Beale.

In front of Exhibition Buildings

Jesus was a refugee - solidarity protest at Maribyrnong, Easter Sunday 2005

It was arranged and announced at very short notice, and at the start it looked as if media and police would outnumber protesters, but in the end between 20 and 30 people joined a lively and noisy event at MIDC timed to coincide with the protests at Baxter.

True to form, GSL management cancelled visiting hours on the pretext of the protest, and one young lady who had come from Dandenong to visit her father was refused admission. At this point there were all of eight protesters outside, and the guards could only refer me to their boss, Mr DeCis, when I put it to them that there was no possible security risk involved in letting her through... It is true one protester [actually two, but one left when instructed to] had earlier got under the outer barrier and attempted to deliver Easter eggs at the inner, main gate. He was removed by police and has been told he may be summonsed for trespassing on Commonwealth land ...

After a few readings to illustrate what has been happening at this place there was agreement to move round the back and attempt to make some sort of contact with detainees by shouting through the wire. After a bit voices were indeed heard replying, even though only guards and police could be seen.

Towards the scheduled end the gathering was joined by a visibly distressed lady who it turned out had been involved with helping Vietnamese refugees in the 70s and had not seen the place since - she told me she could not understand how people could bear to see the fence and barbed wire ...

William DeCis
General Manager

• An independent enquiry into the death of Viliami Tanginoa at Maribyrnong Detention Centre,
• An independent enquiry into the running of the centres,
• and abolition of mandatory detention for asylum seekers and refugees.