Inside Australia's Immigration Detention

I knocked off my submissions today.  I may try a minor tune-up later.   But basically, it's done.  It's only 7 pages, the shortest submissions  I have ever written for the Federal Court.  It is about a half of the  normal/standard length even though I generously included extra stuff  which I really don't need.  I may get rid of the extra when I tune-up  later.  Then it'll be even shorter....  Well, it is a simple stupid case.  It does not need much argument.  But I am a bit worried.  Did I miss something???  I  cannot think of.  But I am getting worried... The Minister's lawyers responded to the Court.  It is quicker than I  thought.  They do not oppose an order of a pro bono referral to be  made in chambers.  Of course.  But then the judge became quiet.  There  were full court  sittings last week so he could be flying anywhere  today.  I hop...

Time flies.  It is already Day 25.  I was yawning all day but worked  hard.  I found that my guinea pig boy's toenails were too long in a photo I  received two days ago.  So I have no time to waste.  I have to get out quick  and pick him up to clip his toenails  before he injures his toe. Today's job was to continue to write submissions for the proceedings.   If you are familiar with legal proceedings, I finished writing the  Background, the Relevant Legislation, Grounds 1 and 2 and the  Conclusion.  I do not think I need any more grounds but just in case,  I may insert one or two more before the Conclusion.  The sad reality is that white Australian judges need enough grounds to deny in order to teach me how great they are.  So I have to include plenty of extra grounds in addition to the real ground I should win on.  But I have not made  up my mind yet because the more grounds I include...

HEY PIGS! YOUR MOTHER DOES NOT LIVE HERE. PUT YOUR RUBBISH IN THE BIN & DONT  LEAVE YOUR BUTTS ON THE FlOOR!! This is the sign put up on the kitchen wall and the wall right behind  a fridge. Except for the lower case of L in the floor, there seems to  be no obvious error in terms with grammar and spelling.  But obviously, it was not written by a decent person.  I do  not like this .  I do not think this was placed by cleaners working from 7am  till late every day.  So it must be a guard.  When I find a time, I  might fill in a complaint form. Yesterday was another exhausting day.  It was because there was an  interview for IMP.  I was told that IMP stands for Individual  Management Plan, whatever that means.  It seems that there is a  fortnightly interview report by a Serco guard to be submitted to the  Immigration for the purpose of IMP.  The interview was attended only  by one ...

From the night when my roommate Ms Serial Thief created a big fuss in my room,  I began to be told by guards and other detainees that I look tired.  Actually,  I am tired.  I am too old to deal with all these nonsensical,  idiosyncratic, preposterous people every day. Ms Serial Thief has not moved out of my room but a guard is constantly  following her.  That might prevent her from engaging in her notorious  habit but that certainly interferes with my privacy as a side effect.   I could not sleep last night because a guard kept open and shut the  door every 15 minutes or otherwise the door was wide open to the  lounge room where the TV was loudly on.  Since I could not sleep, I  turned on my bed light (not a room light) and started reading a case.  T hen Ms Serial Thief complained!  Why should she be able to sleep  while I cannot sleep because of her?   Thank goodness, the guard told her she...

It was another exhausting day.  My room door was often (but not  always) locked regardless of where I was or where my room mate,  alleged Serial Thief was.  It was really inconvenient.  Sometimes, Ms  Serial Thief was in my room with all my stuff and the door was locked.  I could  not get in.  I had to go to the guards' station to ask one of them to  come to open the door. I was worried about my stuff in the locked room  where Ms S T was and no one else could entre.  What an arrangement... For the last couple of days, I have been writing my submissions for  the final hearing in the Federal Court.  I am trying to finish it off  before the first return.  Then I will be ready for the hearing to go  to pick up my little guinea pig.  This place is unbearable not only because of the  absence of my little piggie boy but because of the people here.  One of the guards  said that the demogra...

I usually go to bed before 9pm.  It's 10:43pm.  Why am I still in the  computer room?  Because I cannot sleep.  The entire compound is up.   Partially because I went to the guards' station to tell them my  roommate was crying.  Well, probably everybody got up and out before I  took action since my roommate screamed like hell a minute before I  went to the station. What happened was a disaster for me... When I was in bed someone knocked on the door.  I have a habit of  ignoring a door knock.  Plus I was on the upper bed of a bunk bed.  It  is not easy to go down so I ignored.  My roommate went to the door  and probably went out.  It seems there were some furious people came  to complain to my roommate.  She seems to have stolen someone's  mobile phone.  After a few loud voices, she came back to my room and  said 'Junkie'.  Then the complainants blew their ...

Yesterday's lunchtime, detainees launched the protest on food  quality.  They complained that foods served here were the same every day.  At the dinner  time, protest/boycott  continued.  The ABF did not come to talk despite  that Serco central management promised to arrange the ABF to come to  talk.  But the dinner menu was different from most days.  Today, again  very different from a usual  meal.  Detainees got satisfied and the  protest ended.  I could not believe it!!  Never happened in 2006.  No  matter what detainees said, everything was just ignored in 2006.  Now, the ABF  act in the same way as everyone did in 2006 but apparently, Serco acts  differently. Yesterday, I made a complaint about the stealing to every possible  person.  My case manager of the Immigration simply passed my complaint  to the ABF.  The ABF which received my complaint form ignored...