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Detention centre opens up to journos

As the federal government begins the shift to community-based immigration detention, it’s beginning to open the doors of its traditional detention facilities to public scrutiny.

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(AAP)

2 min read

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By Karen Ashford


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As the federal government begins the shift to community-based immigration detention, it's beginning to open the doors of its traditional detention facilities to public scrutiny.

The media was invited to tour the Inverbrackie place of alternative detention in the Adelaide Hills on Wednesday, the third facility to host such visits in recent weeks.

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It's part of a process to demystify detention – albeit with strict privacy provisions in force.

"We want you to see that in fact we are looking after them, that we are providing them with services on a similar basis that the rest of the community has services provided for them", government spokesman Sandi Logan says.

It's aimed at exploding the myth of detainees living in luxury, while also demonstrating that their basic needs are being met.

But what you're not allowed to see or hear are the detainees themselves, or the many of the staff.

Strict access conditions included vetting of all film and photographs, and no audio recordings, lest detainees be identified or family back home targeted.

Media were allowed to speak with detainees, provided they weren't recorded.

SBS's Karen Ashford has more.


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