A Darwin hotel, being used as a makeshift immigration detention centre, has been criticised by the watchdog for its conditions. The national ombudsman has raised concerns over a lack of access to fresh air and outdoor space and is calling for the Commonwealth to build a new facility.
00:00A downtown Darwin hotel being used to detain illegal foreign fishers, under the spotlight.
00:09Parts of it were really not suitable, not the right way to treat people.
00:15The top two floors of the 1970s era Frontier Hotel have been transformed into an immigration
00:22detention facility, complete with a hotel room medical centre.
00:27Following a surge in illegal Indonesian fishers being caught in Australian waters.
00:32But its use has raised concerns.
00:35The particular concerns about the Frontier Hotel were the access to fresh air and also the access to recreation
00:42or to other programs and activities while people are in detention.
00:46A temporary camping gazebo next to a shipping container, among the issues pinpointed by the Ombudsman.
00:53The Ombudsman's also calling on the Australian Government to consider funding a purpose-built
00:59immigration detention centre here in the Northern Territory to avoid having to use hotel facilities like this.
01:05There needs to be somewhere that's actually fit for purpose.
01:08There's a lot of work now being done by the Department of Home Affairs to actually improve the conditions
01:13at the Frontier Hotel and I'm optimistic that that will improve the quality.
01:17But I still think that people shouldn't be held in hotels for extended periods.
01:23In response to the Ombudsman's concerns, late last year the Home Affairs Department confirmed it would work
01:29to ensure the Frontier was meeting both Australian health and safety standards
01:34and international standards and guidelines on the treatment of people deprived of their liberty.
01:40Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke did not respond to whether the Albanese government would consider building a new detention facility in the Territory.
01:49So for now, Fisher's Court illegally in Australia will keep checking into the Frontier.
01:55Cooperation.
01:56In addition, there's a good news perspective on theT.
