Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre has recorded the highest number of escape attempts of all immigration detention facilities in the country, according to Australian Border Force statistics.
Over the last five years Yongah Hill has recorded 17 escape attempts, followed by Maribyrnong IDC in Victoria with 13 attempts and Villawood IDC in New South Wales with nine attempts.
The statistics were made public through Senate Estimates in late February after Senator Kim Carr asked the Australian Border Force to reveal escapee numbers.
Between July 1 2013 and February 26 2018 there was 99 escape attempts from Australia’s onshore immigration detention network and 81 successful escapes.
Nation-wide statistics
2013/14
- 25 escape attempts
- 33 successful escapes
2014/15
- 34 escape attempts
- 19 successful escapes
2015/16
- 12 escape attempts
- 14 successful escapes
2016/17
- 19 escape attempts
- seven successful escapes
2017/18 (as of February 26)
- nine escape attempts
- eight successful escapes
Yongah Hill is currently being redeveloped with upgrades to two compounds within the facility, providing 120 higher security beds, associated support buildings, infrastructure and various physical security measures.
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection said the new measures are necessary because the profile of the detainees are predominantly medium to high-risk criminals.
“The held immigration detention population is reducing given lower risk detainees are generally placed in the community as soon as practicable," the proposal for redevelopment said.
“This has significantly changed the profile of the held immigration detention population with a growing proportion of the population being medium to high risk.
“An increasing number of the immigration detention population have had their visas cancelled on character grounds, due to criminal convictions and links to organised crime or outlaw motorcycle gangs.”