In response to the announcement today that the Australian Government will open a new immigration detention facility in Tasmania, Dr Graham Thom, Refugee Coordinator for Amnesty International, said:

“Amnesty International Australia has serious concerns with the announcement that a new detention centre is to be opened in Tasmania.

“It is difficult to understand the rationale for building more centres while inquiries are still underway into the recent events on Christmas Island and suicides in the Curtin and Scherger detention centres.

“These recent events, as well as the spiralling mental health crisis amongst detainee populations in centres across the country, clearly demonstrate that detention is not the answer.

“Serious concerns remain about the current provision of mental health care for those who are experiencing prolonged periods of time in detention. How these basic services are to be provided in Pontville needs to be clearly addressed before any of the 400 detainees are moved there.

“Previous failings, such as the lack of appropriate areas for visitors in Curtin, also need to be addressed, particularly given the new centre’s location, close to Hobart.

“Detention centres are the problem, not the solution. Instead of increasing detention capacity, the government should be seeking to make much more fundamental changes in order to address the deep underlying issues of such a flawed and inhumane system.

“There are a number of asylum seekers who have been in detention in Australia for more than two years. In large part, it is the indefinite nature of detention in Australia that puts us so starkly in breach of our international human rights obligations, and which has such devastating mental health impacts for those detained.

“Ultimately, building more and more detention centres is not the answer. Instead of pouring seemingly endless resources into increasing detention capacity, the government should be considering more humane and cost effective alternatives to detention.”