Woomera: hell-holes and mandatory detention of illegal immigrants

Australia’s policy of detaining illegal immigrants who apply for asylum has attracted criticism. The author is a former member of the Refugee Review Tribunal. He argues that, while some aspects of the implementation of this policy could be improved, it is essentially sound and conditions within the detention centres are reasonable. He explains the system for assessing and processing asylum-seekers’ claims and compares Australia’s response to illegal entrants claiming asylum with that of other Western countries. He also points out that illegal immigration is now a large and growing international business with strong underworld connections. Copyright. Monash University and the author/s