Christmas Is centre to be repaired by July

Repairs at the Christmas Island detention centre are expected to take another four months to complete with the final cost anticipated to be $7.65 million.

Repairs to the Christmas Island immigration detention centre after last November's riot won't be finished until July at a total cost of $7.65 million.

A group of detainees went on a rampage in the centre after the death of Iranian Kurdish asylum seeker and centre escapee Fazel Chegeni.

The centre was set alight and security guards fled before the federal police raided the compound, injuring five detainees.

The extensive repair bill was initially estimated to be around $10 million.

But the Department of Immigration and Border Protection now says although the repairs remain ongoing, the expected cost has declined.

The department told AAP in a statement "work will be completed by July 2016" with most repairs being done on education facilities.

So far, $3.4 million has been spent, with the final cost anticipated to be $7.65 million.

After the riots a number of detainees were moved from the island to prisons in Western Australia.

At the time, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said detainees found to have damaged Commonwealth property would face "the full force of the law".

However, the AFP won't say if any charges have been laid, or if criminal charges are still being considered.

"This matter is an ongoing investigation. As such it would not be appropriate for the AFP to comment at this time," a spokesman said.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Christmas Is centre to be repaired by July | SBS News