Govt seeks more sites for asylum seekers

The federal government has confirmed it is seeking more mainland sites to house
asylum seekers as it continues to look for ways to cope with overcrowding on
Christmas Island.
As Western Australia's remote Curtin airbase was preparing to welcome its first
group of asylum seekers since being recommissioned as an immigration detention
centre, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard confirmed more mainland sites were set
to be used.
The Curtin facility, about 40km southeast of Derby, will initially house 189 Afghan
men with the first 94 detainees flown from Christmas Island on Saturday afternoon.
Another 95 detainees were to be flown from the island to Curtin on Sunday.
Immigration Minister Chris Evans said further transfers to Curtin were expected once
work had been completed at the site.
"It makes sense for the government to manage this group of asylum seekers in one
secure location and the Curtin facility is well placed to provide this
accommodation," Senator Evans said.
"Additional accommodation is being brought online progressively and it is expected
that further transfers will occur."
Capacity at Curtin is expected to be increased to about 300 people.
The transfer of the first group came as Ms Gillard confirmed more mainland sites
were being considered as locations for immigration detention facilities.
Ms Gillard on Saturday said the Queensland town of Dalby was just one of a number of
sites under consideration, but maintained no final decision had been made.
Last week the remote West Australian goldfields town of Leonora welcomed its first
group of asylum seekers.
"The Department of Immigration makes preliminary inquiries of this nature," Ms
Gillard said.
"I'm advised Dalby has been one of those preliminary inquiries, but no decision has
been made in relation to Dalby."
The department is understood to be negotiating with a company called Ausco Modular
to house an overflow of about 200 asylum seekers in a camp used for mine workers
west of the Darling Downs town.
But Dalby Mayor Ray Brown said the site, which has no perimeter fencing, was not
ready to house asylum seekers.
"There's residential housing within roughly 500 metres of that site. There would be
huge concerns," he told ABC Radio.
Two groups of about 100 asylum seekers were transferred from Christmas Island to
Leonora, 235km north of Kalgoorlie, on Monday afternoon.
It can currently accommodate 190 people, but capacity is being increased to about 300.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, campaigning in Cairns, said mainland sites such as
Dalby and Leonora would not be needed if the government was able to properly secure
Australia's borders.
"Well, I think if Mr Rudd hadn't lost control of our borders it wouldn't be
necessary, and the only way to eliminate the need for opening new detention centres
is to stop the boats," Mr Abbott said.
The comments come in the wake of a string of boat arrivals over the past week.
Customs officials rescued an asylum-seeker boat - the third to be intercepted in
less than a week - carrying 35 passengers and two crew off the West Australian coast
on Tuesday.



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