We need to ask the following questions-
1. Is Scherger Air force base crucial to the national security and defence of our country?
If the answer is no, why are we spending $millions on maintaining it as an Airforce base. If it's no longer needed as an airforce base shut it down and save taxpayers the money.
If the answer is yes, why the hell are we housing immigration detainees there. Get them out and restore it to its intended purpose and stop compromising our national security.
2. Why don't we have a purpose built facility to meet the needs of immigration detainees?
This is a direct result of the lies told to us by the government when the idea was floated. First it was not going to be used as a detention centre. LIES. Then we were told it was going to be used as a detention centre, but it was only going to be temporary. LIES. Then we were told it would not impact on the community it was located. LIES.
If RAAF Scherger is no longer needed, shut it down. If RAAF Scherger is needed, than the immigration dept need to fund a purpose built centre with the infrastructure required to support it.
Here is the media release put out by us-
The Australian Party Candidate for Cairns Darren Hunt has called on the government to take action to address the issues at the Scherger Airforce base after the recent reports of a riot involving up to 100 immigration detainees.
Mr Hunt said “This unrest and rioting was inevitable. The government has lied and blundered it’s way through the whole episode and this was bound to happen. It all started when the government lied about using our northern RAAF base near Weipa as a detention centre. It’s not a detention centre, it’s an air force base. It should be used as such. We are the laughing stock of the world that a facility crucial to the strategic national security of our country is used in this manner.”
“To put these people at this location, without the required infrastructure and support services in place, prior to it being opened as a place to house immigration detainees was ridiculous. It was unfair on the detainees and it was unfair on the local residents that this huge burden on infrastructure was undertaken with no planning and support. Most local people and businesses are happy for the facility to be in Weipa, but it needs to be a purpose built facility and there needs to be input to the infrastructure to cope with needs.”
“This government needs to stop lying and either move these people from this location or build a purpose built facility that meets the needs and objectives for immigration detainees. They need to provide the Weipa community the infrastructure and funding required to support the extra burden the present arrangement places on current services.”
Darren Hunt
Candidate for Cairns
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