On Thursday, detainees at the Melbourne Immigration Detention Centre (MIDC) staged their own means of protest, breaking out into a riot. Their frustration came from lack of access to quality healthcare. The incident escalated around 2:00 AM, leading to a fire in a common area of one of the centre’s compounds. Fire Rescue Victoria confirmed that the scene was under control by 2:55 AM, and fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Situated in Melbourne’s north, the MIDC has come under fire for its treatment of detainees. Graphic via Asylum Seeker Resource Centre The ASRC says that the riot was the result of chronic issues involving the provision of healthcare and respect. The Australian Border Force, which operates the facility, asserts that all detainees are “safely and appropriately accommodated.” Advocates have not stopped speaking out about the dire conditions inside the new facility.
Frustration and Unrest
Read Catherine Holbeche, a spokesperson for the ASRC, on the deeper causes that forced this outbreak of violence. “Frustration about one, lack of adequate healthcare, but two, lack of dignity,” she stated. Holbeche commented that the dehumanizing and disrespectful experience detainees had added to the chaos.
Eyewitness accounts reveal that tensions escalated rapidly. “Then all of a sudden people erupted and a riot started,” Holbeche recounted. The unrest resulted in catastrophic damage to one of the complex due to an intense fire. Officials still haven’t released information about just how much damage there is, or where.
The ASRC has long warned that detainees’ access to healthcare is compromised, especially in emergency situations. Holbeche pointed out a troubling incident involving a suicidal client, stating, “I’ve previously called an ambulance for a client [at the centre] who was suicidal and I was on the phone with the ambulance and they were saying to me ‘we can’t get in’.”
Emergency Response
The operational management of ambulance services during the incident Ambulance Victoria was placed on standby during the incident but services were not required. An ambulance was immediately summoned to the MIDC. As an Australian Border Force spokesperson later acknowledged, it should not have arrived at the center so quickly. “It is not correct that it was denied access to the centre,” the spokesperson confirmed.
Local, state, and federal authorities continue to investigate the events leading up to and surrounding the riot. They are investigating the fire that ensued afterwards. An ASRC representative expressed concerns that inadequate healthcare is a fundamental issue that needs addressing, stating, “That’s a fairly simple ask of the government when you’re in their custody.”
Ongoing Concerns
The Melbourne Immigration Detention Centre has a high-security section, the north compound, where security measures are intensified. They change their stories. The Australian Border Force is quick to promise that detainees are safe and well-accommodated. Advocates have been pushing for a more humane treatment of people in detention.
Holbeche stressed that this incident is part of a larger systemic problem within the immigration detention system. “This is a fairly basic issue about adequate healthcare,” she said. The ASRC will continue to monitor this situation closely, and advocate for the rights and dignity of all people detained at MIDC.
