Villawood visit
24 August 2008

Norrie, myself , Kelly, Malula, Adam (Metropolitan Community Church), Laurel (RAC Melb) visited Villawood Detention Centre (VDC) and found many of our contacts gone. Many have been released into the community. Some deported.

One detainee told us, two months ago there was around 250 people in VDC. Two months ago the government granted many of the two-year detainees status. Conversely, many of the three-year detainees were deported. All Indians were deported, most Africans released into the community, and many Chinese were released at the beginning of the Olympics. There are now 150 people in VDC.

One month ago, many more were released into the community – but on Bridging Visa Es, which have no work, social security, Medicare or study rights. However, said our source, many of those Bridging Visa Es are being converted to permanent residency. Out of five of his friends who have got out, four now have permanent residency.

But there has been a huge turnover of detainees over the last six week period with a huge amount of new faces. Our source says 900 people have gone through VDC in the last two months. Unlike before, these new people are not being nabbed from the streets or workplaces by cops and put in detention, but they are being stopped at the airport. Immigration is stopping people from poor countries and checking if they have credit cards. If not, and they cannot show wads of cash, Immigration have been throwing them in VDC for a night then deporting them. One case we heard of was of two Korean tourists whose friends brought $20,000 in cash to show to Immigration. They were still deported! Rudd's new anti-refugee intake policy looks like real tight border control against the poor.

Section 501 of the Immigration Act allows for deportation of non-citizens who have been found to have "bad character." There were ten S501s in Stage One. All were released last week. There were rumors about Stage One being closed because there are only six people left there. There is only one woman left in VDC, said another detainee, after a woman who was in VDC for six years got released last Friday. This last woman is in isolated conditions in the women's LIMA block.

Of the detainees still remaining – and there are still detainees – they are being asked for huge bonds with their Bridging Visa Es. $10,000 or $20,000 surety. Terrible. One of the African Pilgrims has been given status, and two remain, awaiting hearings.

So, work still to be done. We are trying to get information on whether all the people released have been put on Bridging Visa Es . The demand for Work Rights is really vital in this period. We are a way away from closing all the camps. There were two deportations that happened last week at VDC, apart from Harinda Kavinder, a Vietnamese man.

Christmas Island needs to close. Mandatory detention is still in place. Australia has a paltry human rights intake. More work needs to be done. But there are many people who have been granted status in this last period – a result of lots of hard work from all of us!

In struggle & solidarity
Rachel Evans