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We wish to advise that Brisbane rock band KiLLTV have decided to title their National Tour in December 2005 "Christmas at Baxter" after reading this website. The politically motivated band can be reached at www.killtv.com.au and will need support and assistance. The intention is to begin at the Sunshine Coast in Queensland via Brisbane - Gold Coast - Byron Bay - Sydney - Canberra (on Parliament House steps) - Melbourne - Adelaide - and finishing at Baxter Detention Centre on Christmas day. We would like to present gifts to our brothers and sisters such as guitars, musical instruments, personal treasures, basically anything you would want if you were caged like a dangerous animal in a foreign country. Our new EP titled "Vulture Culture" addresses todays issues via the avenue of the music industry. We will let all Australians sign the bands tour trailer in support of the detainees plight. Over the next 4 months we will liaise with you and keep you posted on the progress of the tour and high profile people who will be getting involved to raise mainstream awareness of this shocking situation. It's time to "Tear down the fence....".
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The Victorian Greens Spokesperson for Refugees, Peter Job, today condemned the incarceration yesterday of twelve Baxter detainees in the infamous "Red One" compound, after an incident involving poor quality food given to detainees for dinner.
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The Initial training course for Detention officers was never accredited.
Progress to a Cert111 was therefore not possible and no training has been implemented to correct this since commencement of the contract. What this means is the majority of officers are not even accredited to be working within the detention centres. A large proportion did not even have first –aid accreditation for the initial 6 months of the contract. Any use of force that may have been used within the centre is in all likelihood a breach (criminal act?) as training has not been provided or updated. Handcuffs / restraints are regularly issued to escort detainees this should not occur as once again the officers in the majority of cases are not accredited / trained in there use. A number of officers are known by GSL to have suspended drivers licenses for various offences but still transport Detainees in company vehicles.
What this means in a nutshell is GSL has been less than professional in its handling of its detention contract, and it would be fair to say that it does not currently have the amount of accredited staff to even maintain the numbers currently detained.
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Baxter
Posted by: Anonymous on Monday, April 11, 2005 - 11:13 PM GMT |
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O Baxter
What ails you to blight the landscape fair?
Like a thorn in the desert festering away
Parched of hope in the red-baked soil
Breaking the spirit in hopeless despair
Disallowing that human touch
With your steely surrounds and voltage scare.
Who cast you to hold so tight?
To weaken that grip
In your fearsome might
Of holding to life and what is so dear
Ignoring those pleas in captivity
And slamming the door on sanity fair.
How depressing your compounds
With nothing to see
Not even the hills or saltbush to view
Only the sky with its blue hazy stare
Frustrating the eyes in disharmony
What boredom you bring for those living there.
Your solitary cell depresses e’en more
With nothing to do
Devoid of a touch or voice to warm
Only the walls so blank and so bare
Whittling away that vestige of hope
Closing the door on freedom to spare.
How could your fortress be so cruel?
Torturing the mind in mindless form
Causing to weep on foreign shores
And wallow in a pit of despair
Breaking the spirit and will to live
Smiling upon that suffering there.
What mind could form you in this barren land?
So heartless and godless and free from sight
Wrought your steel hands of vengeance out
To freedom deny such richness share
Blocking the way for desperate care
Counting not cost for those trapped there.
Tom Mann
(Former teacher at Woomera detention centre and author of Desert Sorrow: asylum seekers at Woomera)
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There are preliminary reports from inside Baxter about or preparations for the planned Baxter Convvergence.
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With the Australian Governments construction of the $360 million Christmas Island detention facility , it is highly unlikely that advocates could ever find Cornelia in the new 800-bed facility.
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"The Baxter Convergence campaign is vital. Places like Baxter belong in totalitarian countries, not democracies. They take away the basic human rights that ought to be the cornerstone of a democratic state, and their presence diminishes every one us. They should be closed down."
-John Pilger
For information about the Baxter05 Convergence visit baxter05.info.
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My name is Heather Quinn and I am the English Coordinator at Cardijn College, at Noarlunga in South Australia. I am currently studying the topic of Refugees with my enthusiastic Year 9 students.
In 2003 while working at Adelaide High School, I taught this topic to a group of Yr 8 students. I contacted the Principal of Port Augusta Secondary School, who sent us a list of the names of children who were detained at Baxter, but who were students at the school. My class then began writing to these young people, and a pen-pal system was established. In a particular lesson, one of my students asked "Can we meet the refugees we are writing to?" I couldn't see why not, so we set about enquiring how this could happen. My class organised a sleepover, whereby we invited the Principal and the Refugee students to Adelaide High School. It was deemed a school excursion, so in order for it to happen, four other students from the school came also. My class and I were not doing this for any political reasons, but to learn about other young people from different cultural backgounds and to become critically aware of local issues effecting us.
I went up to Pt. Augusta on the bus, stayed overnight with one of their teachers, and then at 9am the following morning myself, four Pt. Augusta Staff and 15 students, 11 being from Baxter, climbed on board the school bus and drove to Adelaide. My students were waiting at the other end, with arms open wide to welcome them to our school.
A formal lunch had been organised with all of the Staff, VIP's and our guests in attendance. It was then off to have a very competitive game of soccer with the final score being Refugees 6-Adelaide High School 1. It was on that soccer pitch that I realised the enormity of what my class of Yr 8s and I had achieved. There was 'high-fives', hugs, laughter and more importantly friendship on that pitch and I for one will never forget the experience!
They stayed over; We watched films all night, played indoor soccer in the school corridors at 3am, ate pizzas till we felt sick and generally had a ball! There were 49 students in total and 7 teachers.
They returned to Port Augusta the next day with gifts (that had been donated by Adelaide businesses) and new friendships. My students waved them off with mixed emotions, knowing they were going back into Detention and that we might never see them again. Unfortunately this has become a reality, as I recently found out most of them have been deported.
I have spoken about this experience at local conferences, but in July 2005, I have been asked to present a talk at the National English Teachers Conference in Queensland, telling other teachers how they can also make a difference to our Refugeees with their classes around Australia.
As I previously stated, I am currently studying Refugees with my new group of students at Cardijn College. They are also enthusiastic young people and with their new ideas, opinions and achievements, I know we will make a difference in our own small way! I didn't want my first project involving the Refugees at Baxter to be a one off, and that is why I have undertaken to do it all over again, maybe not involving a sleepover in Adelaide this time, but who knows, this time my students and I may go up to Pt. Augusta to meet them!
At the time I could not make this visit by the Refugees public because of the risks involved, but I would just like to say that it enriched my life and the lives of my students and I know that I will endeavour to continue teaching about Refugees and to make the point, as one of my Yr 8 students made after she met them, "They are just like us Ms.".
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Immigration Minister Senator Vanstone has recently stated in the media that her Department believes that long-term detainee Peter Qasim has not cooperated fully with attempts to establish his identity and facilitate his return to his homeland of India.
In fact, Peter has consistently cooperated with the Department, and has truthfully answered all questions put to him concerning his background in India. He remains willing to answer any further questions at any time. The inability of Indian authorities to confirm his identity is a source of great frustration for Peter, but unfortunately it is due to factors entirely beyond his control.
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It seems that the detention in Baxter of Cornelia Rau, a mentally ill permanent resident of Australia, has exposed Baxter to scrutiny by the mainstream media. Below is a an article form The Australian in which psychiatrist Dr Louise Newman describes effect of the behaviour regime reported on Baxterwatch in June 2004.
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to BaxterWatcher mailing list
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· Banging at the gates - Baxter in 2005
(Sep 26, 2004)
· Protest Tactics
(Sep 16, 2004)
· The Latest from Pt Hedland
(Dec 07, 2003)
· Update on Hazara man returned to Quetta
(Nov 27, 2003)
· Evil Former DIMIA Manager at Baxter
(Nov 26, 2003)
· Latest update on Baby Salima and family
(Nov 20, 2003)
· Group 4 Falck Takeover
(Nov 18, 2003)
· DIMIA charming to the end...
(Nov 18, 2003)
· Have been there -- a first hand account of Baxter IDF
(Oct 22, 2003)
· Roqia Bakhtiyari's baby -- Australia's youngest detainee
(Oct 20, 2003)
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302 people
232 adult men
29 adult women
41 children
(DIMIA statistics,
as at 23/6/2003)
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I’M VERY TIRED, VERY TIRED. I’M LOSING MY PATIENCE, LOSING MY MEMORY. I’M JUST SICK OF THESE THINGS HAPPENING TO ME. I’M TIRED OF MY LIFE. PLEASE GOD, KILL ME.
-- Child in Baxter IDF
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