Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I would urge you to take the opportunity because some excellent work is being done there. I have now had the opportunity to visit most of the centres, including the one at Christmas Island. In a design sense, I think we are now leading the world with this sort of facility. The village concept has been designed to ensure that this is not comparable to a jail experience but rather provides for people who have arrived in the country illegally and are awaiting the processing of their claims. I invite you to take the opportunity to look at some of the renovations at a number of the facilities. Baxter has undergone a very significant improvement and provides a very adequate and appropriate environment. I think a proper balance has been reached at that centre.

We have moved a long way forward. The only reason work has not begun at Villawood is that the prospect of a greenfield site is being assessed—the results of that assessment are not far away. There will be substantial improvements either at Villawood or at a greenfield site. Even at Villawood, the construction of homes has provided an excellent facility for families in detention. On all those fronts I think you will find that we have gone a long way towards creating facilities which reach an appropriate balance and deal with the concerns that we should legitimately have for people being held in detention.

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