The notorious Woomera detention centre will be closed before Easter and its residents moved to the Baxter centre, near Port Augusta.
The Minister for Immigration, Philip Ruddock, announced yesterday that the centre, which has become an emblem of the Federal Government's hard line against refugee applicants, would be "mothballed".
Mr Ruddock denied that humanitarian concerns had prompted his decision, but said Baxter would provide "a higher degree of amenity" for Woomera's remaining 77 residents. He acknowledged the original decision to detain asylum seekers at Woomera had been made hastily.
"I'm not saying that Woomera was not appropriate ... obviously we aim to treat people as humanely as we can," Mr Ruddock said.
"[But] Baxter has more personal privacy and each living unit has an ensuite attached to it."
Labor's spokeswoman for immigration, Julia Gillard, welcomed the closure of Woomera - which she has been calling for since pictures of men throwing themselves on razor wire were beamed around the world early last year.
"Woomera is the public face of the worst of our detention system. It is what people will remember media wise - the worst conditions, the worst self-harming protests, hunger strikes, jumping on razor wire. The worst of everything has happened at Woomera," Ms Gillard said.
Mr Ruddock also said yesterday that "incentives packages" would be extended to 202 Iranian asylum seekers to return home, following a deal with the Iranian Government.
He said the financial incentives would allow Iranians whose refugee claims have been rejected to return to Iran "with dignity". Iranians who do not accept the package will eventually be repatriated anyway, Mr Ruddock said.
Until now, Iran has refused to accept the Iranians awaiting deportation in Australia, saying it would only accept those who return voluntarily out of respect for their dignity.
The agreement also provides for "working holiday" visas for Australians in Iran and Iranians in Australia, which will be subject to age, education and language criteria. Mr Ruddock said he wished to expand opportunities for "legitimate movement of people" between countries.
Late last year, Mr Ruddock prompted speculation that Government rhetoric and treatment of asylum seekers was softening, when he reportedly requested the removal of women and children from detention where possible. The speculation was fuelled by news that 100 of the 219 people on the vessel SIEV 4, who Mr Ruddock and Prime Minister John Howard had accused of throwing their children overboard, have been quietly accepted as genuine refugees in Australia. At the time, Mr Howard said "I don't want people of that type in Australia."
But women and children remain in detention and Mr Ruddock said the decision to close Woomera was purely a management decision made possible by lower numbers of detainees. Woomera's detainee population has fallen from about 1500 at its peak, which Mr Ruddock attributes to the fact that no refugee boats have landed in Australia since December 2001.
Mr Ruddock said he had no special plans for coping with refugee flows resulting from an invasion of Iraq - saying he thought that war would reduce the flow of refugees from Iraq and encourage Iraqis to return home.
