Detention centre 'harsh, prison-like' (AAP)

Refugee advocates who have toured Australia's new immigration detention centre on Christmas Island say it is "extremely harsh" and unsuitable. Amnesty International and seven other groups have signed a letter to Immigration Minister Chris Evans, saying the facility is not appropriate for processing asylum seekers. Under the Rudd government's approach to asylum seekers, boat people will be detained on Christmas Island, although not all will be kept in the $400 million detention centre. Christmas Island is located in the Indian Ocean, more than 2,000km from Perth. Some of the refugee groups visited the detention centre this week. Their letter slammed the detention centre's "high security, prison-like character". "It is an extremely harsh and stark environment to detain people seeking asylum while their applications for... [read full story]