Port Hedland Detention Centre (fmr)

Values

- The place was the first facility specifically used for the detention of unauthorised immigrants (‘boat people’) in Australia.
- The place is an integral component in the advent of detention policy in Australia in response to the increasing number of unauthorised immigrants (‘boat people’) arriving in the 1990s and 2000s.
- The place was a centre of focus for the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission during the 1990s and 2000s as criticisms of immigration policy and the conditions in such facilities began to enter the public consciousness.
- The place provides an example of the type of accommodation deemed appropriate for the detention of those arriving in Australia without a valid visa.
- J Block still retains fabric which demonstrates its conversion into a high-security detention facility.
- The place is an example of one of the accommodation options for mining employees, namely single-men, in the Pilbara region during boom periods.

Physical Description

The place comprises ten accommodation buildings; Blocks A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, and K, the former Mess building and one original laundry building. Most of the accommodation blocks are double-storey corrugated iron structures which are rectangular in plan. In addition there are numerous prefabricated demountable buildings (post-2008) and a more recent Kitchen and Dining Building. Most of these buildings, with the exception of J Block, have been refurbished when the place was converted into commercial accommodation.

History

Located on the traditional lands of the Kariyarra language group, whose land extends to the Sherlock and Yule Rivers, Port Hedland is situated in the Pilbara region. The Kariyarra lived a traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle for 40,000 years prior to Colonial settlement of the region when this way of life began to be disrupted. During the early settlement period (c.1860-70) Aboriginal people worked as labourers on pastoral stations. The town of Port Hedland was gazetted in 1896 with the discovery of gold in the region which resulted in a boom. A railway line was subsequently constructed in 1911 though by this time the gold rush was waning.

From World War I to the 1960s Port Hedland remained relatively small. However, the discovery of iron ore at Mt Newman in 1957 resulted in the town’s second boom. In 1967 the Mt Newman Mining Company (now known as BHP Billiton Iron Ore ) was formed and the deposits began to be mined in 1969. Rapid population growth of the town ensued and housing shortages followed. To provide housing for its workforce the Mt Newman Mining Company began constructing a large accommodation centre (Port Hedland Detention Centre (fmr) which was completed in 1974 by which time the population of the town had reached over 8000. The camp created by the mining company was almost a townsite of its own on the Cooke Point side of Port Hedland. The area currently known as Port Hedland Detention Centre (fmr) is the area designated single men’s barracks on the 1972 town plan.

The mid-1970s saw the beginnings of Australia’s immigration detention policy following the arrival of the first wave of unauthorised immigrants from Vietnam, people who were informally referred to as ‘boat people’. Although these first arrivals were seen as genuine refugees and caused little concern the second wave, from Cambodia, China and Vietnam in the late 1980s, raised issues in the Australian community relating to unemployment and ‘queue jumping’. Detention facilities were at that time limited, and were designed for short-term stays. With the passing of the Migration Legislation Amendment Act 1989, changes were introduced which saw those who were found to be in Australia without a valid visa held in detention until their immigration status could be determined. With further arrivals occurring into the 1990s, it was determined another facility was required and the Port Hedland Immigration Reception and Processing Centre was established in 1991. The facility was the first specifically set up to house people arriving without a valid visa (‘boat people’). The introduction of the Migration Amendment Act 1992 made it a requirement to detain these ‘unlawful non-citizens’.

The Port Hedland Detention Centre was not purpose-built, it was converted from the mining accommodation facility constructed c.1970. With mandatory detention being legislated in 1992 the facility was in demand, and was often a focus for public attention and demonstrations. The conditions in detention facilities became an issue, and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) made a number of inspections of the facility. It was a primary focus of the Commission’s inquiry into conditions in detention with conclusions drawn that it met the minimum standards for humane treatment of detainees.

In 1997 major refurbishments were undertaken to improve the living conditions and facilities but by 1999 it was at capacity. The resulting protests and escapes attracted much media attention, ultimately leading to the establishment of the Woomera and Curtin Immigration Detention Centres. Between 1999 and 2001 the number of detainees increased with approximately 9,500 people seeking asylum, mainly from the Middle East which ultimately led to the ‘Pacific Strategy’. Devised in response to the Tampa incident, the Christmas, Ashmore and Cartier, and Cocos (Keeling) islands were excised from Australia’s migration zone meaning people arriving at these locations could not make a valid application for a visa to enter Australia. Instead they were sent to off-shore processing facilities until their immigration status could be determined. As incidents at immigration centres escalated in the early 2000s, J Block at the Port Hedland Immigration Centre was of particular concern being described by HREOC as ‘totally unacceptable’. A direction was given that it not be used until it had been refurbished. Works subsequently completed 2003-04 with J Block being converted into a high security block. However, it was only used once following these refurbishments.

The Port Hedland Immigration Detention Centre was decommissioned in 2004. It remained unused until 2007 at which time it was leased to Auzcorp which refurbished the place, turning it into a commercial accommodation facility; Auzcorp Beachfront Village. The place ceased to function in this capacity between 2013 and 2016. When a valuation was undertaken in 2016, J Block still retained its high security features. However, the rest of the complex had largely been refurbished when converted for commercial accommodation.

Condition

Moderate

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.