Woomera, South Australia and Woomera was chosen as a site for such a facility. The establishment of the Woomera Immigration Detention Centre in 1999, through the refurbishment of the original Woomera Village construction camp at 'Woomera West', eventually brought in new permanent staff (as the Nurrungar people were leaving) to settle and maintain the village population at around 1,200. The immigration detention centre, however, proved to be a highly controversial facility and it closed in early 2003 after only about 36 months of operation, at which point the land and buildings were handed back to the Defence Department. Following the closure of the
Immigration detention in Australia The current immigration detention program has been viewed as detrimental to Australia's interests in three ways: (1) the people subjected to the detention programs endure inhumane conditions, (2) those working in the detention centres often subjected to emotionally jarring situations and (3) Australia's reputation as a fair and just nation has been eroded or fractured. The government often cites deterrence to frame the context in which their policies operate, Timing is also of concern, with many refugees and asylum seekers reporting being detained for several years before receiving status determination from the government. While the immigration detention program draws some