In mid-January this year, 46 men were finally released into the community after spending roughly 8 years in detention for seeking refugee status in Australia. The men were transferred to Melbourne from the offshore detention centre on Manus Island for medical issues under the now-repealed Medevac scheme. The men were forced to remain locked in hotels with minimum access to facilities for over a year. Many of the men reported that these conditions caused a significant decline in their mental health.
Whilst many of the men have been released into the community on 6-month bridging visas, there are still more refugees continuing to be held in Park Hotel, and protests continue.
Concerningly, the use of hotels for detaining refugees — often covertly — is on the rise, with revelations that a Moreland motel was being used as a refugee detention facility coming to light in December last year.
The Australian Border Force confirmed to the City of Moreland that a Fawkner hotel has been secretly used for months for this purpose. Best Western Fawkner Suites and Serviced Apartments on Sydney Road, holds a number of refugees (including refugees from Nauru) who are locked in self-contained units. The detainees are only able to exercise in the unit courtyards that are roughly 2m2. No visitors are allowed and reports suggest that the detainees in separate units are unable to communicate with one another.
Council passed a motion introduced by Cnr Bolton, calling for an investigation into whether the Fawkner hotel had breached its planning permit by operating as a detention facility. The motion also called on the state government to reform planning restrictions so that any use of motels as detention facilities is made illegal.
By ES
The Coburg Meddler 