Woomera Breakout Condemned By Labor

Julia Gillard - Shadow Minister for Population & Immigration

Media Statement - 28 June 2002

Labor condemns outright the disgraceful and criminal behaviour of the refugee support group that assisted a number of asylum-seekers escape at the Woomera detention centre overnight.

Actions such as this do nothing to assist the asylum seekers and instead could lead to them facing criminal charges.

This incident is not the first such problem in Australian detention centres to date and clearly there is a need to address security and other problems in these centres. Labor reinforces the call for the mothballing of the Woomera Detention Centre and for the management of the detention centres to be returned to Government control.

Whatever view one takes of the policy of mandatory detention there is no excuse for this criminal behaviour and Labor condemns it outright.