View of the centre Pontville Detention Centre. Picture: Raoul Kochanowski Source: The Daily Telegraph THE Gillard Government has decommissioned the Pontville Immigration Detention Centre in Tasmania, keeping a promise to keep it open for just six months.
The $15 million centre, near Hobart, will now be handed back to Defence.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said the final group of detainees at the centre were transferred to the mainland this morning, enabling the decommissioning of the centre.
Mr Bowen said the great majority of men who have been detained at Pontville detention centre have since moved into the community either on permanent protection visas, in community detention or under bridging visa arrangements, having cleared health, identity and security requirements.
Pontville was always intended to be a temporary facility, Mr Bowen said, until additional accommodation at centres such as Wickham Point in the Northern Territory came online.
"I thank the Tasmanian community for the positive feedback the Government has received about Pontville Immigration Detention Centre and the benefits it has provided to the local community," Mr Bowen said.
"However the need for such temporary detention accommodation has been reduced with new detention accommodation now available."
Mr Bowen said the people of Tasmania had provided valuable support to the Pontville detention centre throughout its six months of operation.
"I would hope other communities around Australia follow Tasmania's lead in demonstrating how positive community support and interaction can have direct benefits for both people in detention and the local community," he said.
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