Inside Australia's Immigration Detention

I am getting more and more tired every day.  I had a headache and sore neck this afternoon probably because of too much computer.  I went to the medical centre and asked for paracetamol.  A nurse gave me dissolvable one in a water-filled cup.  It tastes awful, made me sick. I will go to bed early...

My compound has a few flower beds or vegetable patches in the internal garden.  Currently, parsley, coriander, pak choy, celery, corn, sunflowers are growing.  The other day, some corns were pulled out and some sunflower's stalk was broken into two.  That made me feel sad.  I thought some of the stupid girls here must have done.  But that might have been an unsubstantiated allegation.  I saw this morning, a young cockatoo perching on a broken stalk of one of the sunflowers and happily munching on seeds!!  So cute!   This is the first time I saw a cockatoo in Villawood although I see galahs, a gang of thirty, visiting the Oval every day.  A family of five masked wrap wings (a kind of plover) lives in the Oval and they are my favourite to watch even though masked wrap wing is not one of my favourite species of bird.  The Oval also accommodates Indian mynah while my compound is a territory of an Australian native, noisy myn...

Since I spent half a day reading cases thanks to a bitchy nurse of IHMS, the progress of my preparation for the litigation was very good.  huh!  The Acting Health Services Manager of IHMS responded to my complaint and told me that she had booked me in for an eye test today.  So I went to the medical centre at the time.  I waited for more than an hour before a nurse came to me and asked me why I came.  Great...  I told her that I had been informed by the Acting Health Services Manager of an eye test booked for me.  The nurse replied to me that there was no such an appointment.  Then five minutes later, she came back to me and told me to wait for an eye test.  I thought this sort of problem would occur.  So I had plenty of cases printed out and brought them with me to the medical centre.  The result is the good progress of my preparation for the litigation. Anyway, the nurse confirmed that there was no appointment for me with...

Today, I went to the Visit to see a Sister of a church.  I thought that the centre had introduced a new policy on 2 January to undertake a pat search of a detainee when entering into and coming out of the Visits.   At least, when I went to see visitors last week, the reception was in chaos as a result.  Today, there was no search.  No havoc.  Did they abolish the new policy in less than ten days?  Well, if so, it's good since the search was plainly meaningless but creating huge havoc and chaos.  But couldn't they think what is going to happen if they introduce such a policy BEFORE actually introducing it??? Anyway, when I was talking with the sister, I saw a guard with whom I often had a chat passing by.  I said to him, 'Hi!' and he came to join us.  I told him about my current battle against the Acting Health Services Manager who is a registered nurse.  She refused to book an optometrist for me despite that she was directed to...

My morning routine eventually came back!   Yesterday, I was told that the coffee shop would open next day to test a new barista.  But it opened yesterday by a barista with 7 years of experience outside!  Today, even an assistant started working!!  So it is now officially re-opened!!!  My morning habit of reading newspapers while sipping a coffee in an air-conditioned room came back with a pleasant chat with these really professional guys.  Actually, this guy makes really nice coffee at exactly the same standard of cafes outside!  Lucky me!!   Uh?  Oh, I failed to get a job.  Oh, what a pity.  I couldn't gain new skills.  Well, in these circumstances, unfortunately, the sum of the damages I will claim has to go up for ... ummmm ... maybe injured feelings?  Yes, injured feelings!  I am really really sorry for myself for ...  well ... the false hope of becoming a barista?  Mmmmm... Do you thi...

It was rainy this morning.  When I went out in my poncho, I met a guard who had walked into a column on Day 64.  He was wearing a hat with its brim extended by a handmade cardboard brim covered by a plastic bag!  I laughed.   He explained to me that it was not only convenient to avoid rain, it also prevents him from walking into a pole as the brim will act as a stopper!!  This guy is seriously funny. After the chat, I went to a brekkie and the hairdresser, and then came back to the compound.  That guard came wearing no hat.  I said to him, 'No hat?'  He replied, ''Cuz it's not raining anymore.'  So I said, 'It's a shame.'  He burst out laughing and said, 'You always have a word!'.  What did he mean?!  I just engaged in an ordinary meaningless conversation. I heard that two guys were sent to Christmas Island.  One building (next to Lima) was completely vacated last week.  Obviously, the centre is preparin...

This morning was not so hot as yesterday so I went to Charity Walk.  By participating in it in order to donate to a charity, I got paid.  One day, I will figure out why.... or maybe it's a forever mystery....  The money will be used to buy postage stamps sold at the shop.  A one-dollar stamp costs me 91 cents.  I have not found out why... but my guessing is that there is no GST taxed to the shop as it is not business.  My friend said to me that it was the ten percent return and hence was a good investment.  Well,,, investment sounds as if I used my capital to get the profit.  That's not quite what happened.  I paid nothing. This evening, I went to the Medical Centre to see whether my anti-depressant had arrived.  It arrived, surprisingly.  Not only that, a nurse gave me a webster pack (a medication pack for a week).  I don't know why.  It's convenient for me to have the pack but IHMS did not allow me to ...

I was told that it was 44 degrees here today....  Grrrrrr...  It was not my fault that I had two cups of ice cream and 4 zooper doopers after lunch.  Guys gave me theirs.  It would be their fault if I put on more weight....   Since I had no skill of opening zooper dooper bags, I asked a guard to cut open with scissors.  She looked stunned when I held out four zooper doopers.  But she was not entitled to be surprised since she probably weighed 100kg or so.  Even though I put on some weight, I am not that bad. ... yet. It's seventh today so that I still have to wait for the incompetents working for the Immigration for one more week.  So I enrolled in Financial Literacy course offered by Open Universities (free of charge!).  The data download is free while here.  So I will enjoy a bit of study.

This morning, I was asked to drop in the guards' station for an interview for IMP.  IMP stands for an Individual management plan.  I wrote about it on Day 24.  An interview for IMP was supposed to be undertaken every fortnight but for unknown reasons, I have done only twice so far.  And I was not asked to sign for the second time.  I can't imagine why.    Anyway, the guard who was assigned to a role of my prey (?!) was the one who had shouted 'I'm not gonna copy the fucking documents!' on Day 6.  She had been very cranky every time she saw me after that time presumably because she was investigated as a result of my complaint, but somehow, she was suspiciously friendly this morning.  She proudly showed me what she had written for IMP.   It states:  'Detainee Villawood Survivor was respectful to officers.  Detainee Villawood Survivor went to the dining hall three times a day.  Detainee Villawood Survivor kept t...

Today, I went to the medical centre to see whether my prescribed anti-depressant which I use as anti-anxiety had arrived.  My medication is Prozac, a typical SSRI.  But somehow, it is not commonly used in Villawood.  So it has to be specially ordered for me.  It has not arrived yet.  I went the medical centre with my friend who is supposed to take a similar anti-depressant, Zoloft (sertraline).  He has never taken any anti-depressant before he got a prescription of Zoloft only about a fortnight ago.  When a nurse gave him a tablet, he said, 'That's not mine.'  Then the nurse told him that it was the medication he had been taking for the last fortnight.  Then she showed him a package.  It was a box of Seroquel!!!  I jumped up.   Seroquel is a psychotropic used for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  It can be used as augmentation for severe depression.  But it is not the first choice drug for a mild depr...

Yesterday, I noticed one middle-aged male guard looked like he was not with it.  I asked him whether he was OK and he replied that he was just sleepy.  This morning, I witnessed him walking into a column!!!  He was definitely not all right!  I wonder whether he has the onset of something... I saw another medical problem today.  I met my next door neighbour.  She went to ... or was supposed to have gone to the hospital for an operation on the torn ligaments of her thumb yesterday.  She waited for the operation for a month with cordeine.  But according to her, she came back even before getting to the hospital.  It seems that there was a scuffle between her and escorts.  I don't know what really happened but no matter what happened, it sounds ridiculous to me to miss out the operation.  I am sure the surgeon and the hospital staff were annoyed.  No wonder this country's tax is so high. In the evening, my other side n...

I slept well last night for a change.  I got up afresh.  Then I went to the Charity Walk again.  Since I have been flashing around my certificate and recommending everyone to participate, the number of participants in this activity is growing.  It helps them in the tribunal and simultaneously helps the charity organisation, Can-teen.  And most importantly (?!), I am thanked by other detainees, which will make my life here easier.  Triple win situation! The start of the day was brilliant but after that was downwards.  I didn't feel like doing anything.  The depressed mood was triggered by one email.   One of my Japanese friends emailed me to tell me that she is wishing that I can get back to the previous life.  Oh no.  No way.  I don't want to go back to the previous life, namely the life below the poverty line.  No thank you.  Friends here pointed out a few days ago that getting a job and making money are to...

I heard that someone escaped from MITA (Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation) a few days ago.  As of today, Villawood started a pat search when a detainee goes to and comes back from the Visits. I guess the escape from MITA involved a visitor and the ABF went crazy.  Oh dear.  Villawood has always been worse than prison but it really is even now.  What's the point of searching a detainee when going from the compound to see a visitor?  There is nothing in the compound because the centre does not allow anything to get into the compound.  Can anybody tell the ABF to use their brain?  Oh, they don't have one?  That's a bit of a problem. Today, someone from my compound got a visa.  It is the first day of the year but someone in the Immigration started working and decided to grant a visa.  That's a good start, I think.

Happy New Year!  What is your new year resolution?   Actually, this is the question I was asked first in this year by my next door neighbour who barely escaped a deportation last year.  My answer: Get out of here!  Her resolution should be the same but her response was: 'Ahhhh, that's trueeeeee!' Hey, mate, you should be worried about your situation more seriously otherwise you will be really deported next time. Although getting out of here is the first thing I have to do this year, it is virtually the last year's job.  In fact, the Federal Court database stated my current case status as 'Hearing finalised.  Waiting for submissions.'  What the hell is that stupid status!  It sounds as if the substantive argument is finished and the judge is waiting for the submissions as to costs or something.  The truth is that the hearing continues on papers and will not be finalised until February (!!) even though it should have...

It's Day 60.  It's the end of the year.  I guess/hope, 35 days to the judgment.  But I am getting itchy feet.  I don't want to just wait.  Then my private media advisor (my gooooood friend who is a retired well-known journalist) succeeded in hooking one of the media producers.  Yay!  I need someone to tell the Minister that the judge said, 'Minister might revoke his decision after this hearing.'  I also want someone to tell the Attorney-General that I will file an originating application seeking mandamus against him because my petition has been sitting on someone's desk in his Department for the last four years.  Those guys should do the right jobs before wasting tax payers' money and judges' time. By the way, do you think the Immigration is reading my emails?  I am asking it because I got a poncho this morning.  It was raining when I was on the way to the Dining rooms for brekkie so I asked a guard for a poncho....

I am not happy. The coffee shop in the Community is not open.  Still closed because there is no worker.  I thought there were plenty of applicants for that job, plus me.  I whinged about it to another detainee and was told that the security check usually takes a few weeks.  Security check?!!!!!  Just to make a coffee in a shop in the detention centre doesn't need a security check, does it?!!!!   It's just making espresso coffee!  Not brewing beer, you know?  What the hell is the security check for?!!!  I was amazed.   The detainee said that a barista handles boiling water so it is dangerous.  Well, boilers are in the dining rooms and we're always using them.  I have not seen or heard any accident or incident. We have kettles in the kitchen, too.  What's the difference?  Everybody here was well tested for that kind of risk.  Gee... There was another bewildering story.  One detaine...

Last night, I was asked by a guard to lodge a complaint about a new multi-function photocopier placed in the guards' station.  According to the guard, the new machine is in fact not new.  All other compounds got a real new machine but only this compound got one of the old machines from the other compound.  This old machine does not have as many functions as the other new machines in other compounds so that the guards of this compound have to run to the other compounds to use their machines every time they need to do something.  So the guards here came up with a good idea.  'Ask Villawood Survivor to write a complaint form!  Then the centre management will quickly arrange a new machine.'   ... Bloody hell.   What are they thinking about?  If I can get anything by filling in a complaint form, I would write a complaint about the lack of a visa! I did not write a complaint form for the guards (of course!) but wrote one for me ...

Today turned out to be a busy day.  I had a chat with one of my favourite guards on the way back from a brekkie.  I whinged to her that I was not able to get my shoes back from the Property making me impossible to participate in activities as I only had oversized crocs.  Then she told me that she had been asked by the Property to send me to the Property any time of the day.  I thought it was a strange instruction from the Property because they usually specify the time to come.  Anyway, I went to the Property straight away. There, the Property Manager, not an ordinary officer, was waiting for me.  She had trouble to log into the computer system and made me wait a bit.  I told her that since I was not busy today, I could wait but if I were busy, I wouldn't be so patient.  Then she told me that she had asked the compound guard to send me whenever I was relaxing!  Gee.  That's the reason for the strange instruction from the Pr...

I suspect that there are forty days before my lazy judge delivers the judgment.  I think I can wait because Villawood 2017 is nothing like Villawood 2006.   Having said so, I don't like the idea of missing out my guinea pig boy's entire childhood.  So I want to get out of here earlier if possible.  Particularly since I worked so hard to file all the documents early, I should not be required to be here to wait for the incompetent lawyers retained by the Minister.   So I asked all my friends to kick up a fuss.  It is not a right time since everyone is having a holiday.  But since my lazy judge said, at the end of the hearing, that the Minister might revoke the refusal decision after this hearing, someone should let him know. Will see how it goes.

It's Boxing day.  Freezing cold.  It's odd to be so cold at this time of the year.  Christmas day was cold, too.  I was told yesterday that it was 23 degree although Christmas eve was 37 degree.  And I am not living in Melbourne!  Too odd!  I don't know whether that is the reason or not, we didn't have an event called Boxing Day Cricket whatever it was supposed to be.  It was the last Christmas event so the festive season here has finished.  Boring... Today I had a relatively quiet day because I started writing my final submission which I call the draft judgment.  I didn't make much progress.  It is my habit to take a lot of time fiddling with a structure at the start of writing but once I settle the structure, it will be quick to go through to the end. There was not much else today.  Oh, I learned the rule of Backgammon.  I didn't play though.  It didn't look like an interesting game.  Why has that game...

Merry Christmas!  This morning, one Chinese lady turned up in a beautiful china dress to celebrate Christmas.  She is the only one who wore something nice.  There are many Catholics here but no one was bothered.  There were only two people who said to me, 'Merry Christmas.'  Both of them are Muslims.  This is yet another evidence to support my theory: Everything here in Australia is upside down! I received a beautiful Christmas card from my little guinea pig boy.  Proud Mum could not resist showing it around to everyone.  He looks content and looks like to have a bath before this photo shoot.  He is looked after well.  My pigggie has always been a very handsome boy but he seems to be growing up to be a really good looking man! Had the lawyers for the Minister not so incompetent as they are, I would have been holding my boy in my arms by now.   But I cannot complain so much since I was once a part of the produ...

Finally, I got back to my normal routine in Villawood.  I still have a few things to get back from the centre though.   Before going to Brisbane, I had two extra bed sheets, one extra bath towel, one extra blanket and one extra locker key, all beyond the rules of the centre.  Don't misunderstand.  All of them were given to me lawfully.  None of them were smuggled into my room.  I left them here when leaving for Brisbane.  Since I came back here the day before yesterday, I had to collect them again (beyond the rules!).  I got my extra locker back last night and currently am waiting for other stuff to be returned to me except for an excess blanket which I do not want to keep it in my room anymore. Before leaving for Brisbane, I requested a plumber to be sent to repair the half-blocked basin in front of my room.  When I came back, it was repaired.  But instead, I found the toilet seat and lid have gone!!!  I don't know wh...

I was busy from this morning.  I had to explain what happened to each and every person I met.  Most people got angry and expressed sympathy for me.  They are nice.  The most interesting response came from one of the guards I often have a chat.  He said that my case was better than his wife's.   His wife is a lawyer, had a big compensation case.  There was a six weeks trial.  Then a judge had a heart attack and died!  Wow. They have to start all over again. That costs must be enormous and the court will never compensate.  I know that in some cases, parties agree that the next judge is to make a decision by reading the transcript of the trial before the dead judge.  But given that his wife's case is a compensation case, probably the plaintiff does not have money while the defendant has big money and the defendant will not agree with the trial on papers in the expectation that the plaintiff cannot pay to the lawyer for a...

On 22 December, I spent half of the day for telephone calls to all friends to whinge and cry and the rest of the day in bed at BITA (Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation) until at night.  The guards there talked to each other how difficult it is to win against the Minister in the Federal Court.  Apparently, they misunderstood that I had lost the case.  Bloody hell.  It's not difficult to win if the Minister's lawyers are not so incompetent as they were!!  Even then, I will win.  It just takes longer than it should have been.  Bastards. The ABF tried to fly me back to Villawood immediately after the hearing yesterday but I was too sick and tired and really did not want to travel.  So I went to the toilet with a sick bag and did not come out.  The guards seem to have considered to drag me out.  But one of the guards was a mature age law student probably one of the students whose exam paper I marked a few years ago.  She per...

The flight to Brisbane was a disaster. I was locked up in the very uncomfortable seat in a plane for more than an hour because of the lightning.  Of course, the subsequent flight was madly shakey  I have acrophobia.  I nearly died. Anyway, on 21 December 2017, I went to the Court.  I went to the Federal Court Brisbane countless times but this time was the first when I used the secured entrance.  It is used only by detainees (with their guards, of course) and judges (without guards, I guess).  The VIP entrance was like a loading dock at the back of a department store.  Not a fancy facility. The hearing started by the judge taking an appearance of parties.  I usually found the judge's attitude towards me when he or she calls me.  If the judge simply calls my name in the expectation that I will respond by saying, 'I appear on my behalf, your Honour', then the judge will not look after me during the proceeding at all and the chances o...

Last night, after midnight, a guard came to my room and informed to me that I would fly to Brisbane on the next day leaving this centre at 1pm.  So I will go back to Brissie this afternoon. This morning, I took out one of the jeans I brought from home with me.  The largest pair.  I could squeeze myself in them only just!!  Oh, no... I put on weight a lot....  I thought I would wear a different pair of jeans tomorrow in court but I probably cannot fit in!!  Oh no.... I had brekkie with my Sri Lankan friends who are also leaving here today.  I gave one of them my email address as his son is going to Japan. Having had no contact with people in Japan for ten years or more, I am not of much use, to be honest, but since he was desperate, I gave my email address for a peace of mind. Then I had a chat with my African friend while having a cup of tea after brekkie.  I went to the library to print out one case which I will read in a c...

I don't know which complaints I had made worked but now I can access the website of the National Justice Project!  It's the site which the Federal Court order refers to.  It seems that after i reported the block to the National Justice Project, it raised the issue of contempt with the Immigration.  I could also access the Australian Human Rights Centre of the University of New South Wales Law School and the Australian Immigration Daily News, too.  Phew.  But I still cannot access the law firms and barristers' chambers for human rights and immigration.  If I fail to get out on Friday, I will make a hell of a lot of complaints again. Today, I received the other side's submissions.  They did what I had thought that they would do.  Good.  I should be able to celebrate Christmas with my guinea pig... only if I can get to the Court though...  I have not heard anything about my escort!

I had a visitor today.  The place called the Visits is comprised of two sections.  One section is a big room for meeting visitors and the other is a place where there are a number of interview rooms.  When I had a chat with my visitor, I saw more than ten Sri Lankan people waiting to go into the interview rooms.  I saw a few faces of my friends.  I had a horrible feeling.  I was right.  They were served with a removal notice.  They are quiet and nice people and they are the most friendly in this centre.  I am sure anyone who meets them will like them.  Can't you keep them in this country? My next door neighbour (the other side from the one who had a big fight at the airport and came back) got a removal notice a few days ago.  She told me yesterday that she would leave today.  Guess what.  She is still in my next room.  Her Mum arranged a lawyer and got an injunction.  Really, the Imm...

A busy week started.  The last few days in Villawood.  I still don't know when to travel but I suspect it is 20th.  So I have to wind up everything tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.  It seems that the Immigration does not tell me the date and the time of travel in advance.  However, according to a guard who does escort, since I will go interstate, the custody has to be transferred from Serco NSW to Serco QLD which means that I should be able to take all my belongings with me.  I hope that is correct. Today, I organised my court papers.  I also printed out the last documents that I might hand up to the judge.  Other than those bits and pieces, I read cases and had fun.  The Immigration never stop surprising the court (and the readers of the judgments like me).  They are astoundingly talented! Tomorrow, I will introduce my quiet kind Tamil friend here to my caring friend in Sydney when she visits me.  The day after tomorro...

I heard a disturbing story last night.  There is a young girl here.  I saw her occasionally but have never spoken to her.  So I didn't know that she was with her 7 month old baby.  The baby must be an Australian citizen since the baby's father seems to be an Australian.  That 7 month old baby was taken away from her to be sent to a foster carer because the Immigration insisted that she would not be able to take care of her baby while here and that the baby's father does not want to look after the baby.  Only seven months old and was taken away from Mum!!!  I have not spoken to her directly so I do not know what exactly happened but I thought I should alert you. This morning, I had a bit of time since I finished filing all the court documents yesterday.  So I thought I would have a quick look at the Court documents of the George Newhouse's latest case, namely the class action against the Immigration's new policy banning mobile phones in d...

Have you read the article about the delegation problem in the Immigration?  Were you able to access the page?  I can't!  Would you believe it?  The Immigration blocked the site after I accessed it! The Australian Human Rights Centre of the University of New South Wales Law School is now also blocked.  Law firms that accept pro bono brief in migration and/or human rights cases are blocked even though I can access the sites of all commercial law firms.  The websites of barristers chambers that accommodate barristers doing migration law and human rights law are blocked while those of other chambers are not.  Great....   Yesterday, there was a Christmas concert here.  I heard it was a beautiful piano concert.  Yes, I only heard about it after all finished.  I knew that there was a concert on 15th but I completely forgot because I had a deadline for filing my court document.  And as half anticipated, all sorts of human ...