Teen detention plans 'morally wrong'

26 Sep 2011, 2:08 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Leonora chief executive Jim Epis understands 75 asylum seekers, aged between 14 and 17, will move into the detention centre this week. (AAP)

Leonora chief executive Jim Epis understands 75 asylum seekers, aged between 14 and 17, will move into the detention centre this week. (AAP)

The Leonora shire president says plans to move 75 unaccompanied teenage asylum seekers to a detention centre in his WA town are 'morally wrong'.

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Up to 75 unaccompanied teenage asylum seekers will be sent to the Leonora detention centre in remote Western Australia, in a move the local shire president has labelled morally wrong.

Up to 200 asylum seekers, mainly family groups, lived at the former mining camp until last week but Leonora chief executive Jim Epis says they have been moved to other parts of Australia.

Mr Epis says he understands 75 asylum seekers, aged between 14 and 17, will move into the camp in WA's Goldfields region later this week.

Leonora Shire President Jeffery Carter said while he had no concerns for the local community, he felt it was "morally not right" to be detaining young, unaccompanied asylum seekers.

"How can you detain juveniles in a detention centre when surely you can foster them out to families of their own ethnic background who have visas," Mr Carter told AAP.

"It would be a lot better for the children than being stuck in a prison, which is what they are. Coming here asking for asylum is not a crime.

"The government doesn't put their own children in jail because it's not the place for them, and whatever you think about Leonora, it is still a place of detention."

Mr Carter said DIAC officials had told him the detention centre would be closed down due to the government's proposed Malaysian solution.

"But since that fell over, they've decided to open it up again," he said.

The teenagers are expected to attend the local school but Mr Carter said many of the contracts for teachers hired to deal with the previous 55 children at the detention centre would expire at the end of the year.

Mr Epis said the government had put a lot of money into improving the school and the infrastructure and there would be enough room for the 75 teenagers.

A Department of Immigration spokesman said they could not comment on "the operational arrangements for Leonora's new client caseload" for privacy reason.

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