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How to Contact DetaineesBAXTER IS CLOSED. This page has been retained as an archive.
Telephoning to/from Baxter Arranging a Visit Forms Visiting Times How to get there - Travel Where to stay in Port Augusta Your Visit & what to expect) Taking Food Feedback Travel Accomodation Asylum seekers detained in the Baxter Centre are in desperate need of human contact and support. Contact in the way of letters, phone calls and visits is greatly appreciated and can help to make daily life more bearable. If you are not in a location which will enable you to visit the friend you contact, then please request a name of a person to write to and phone via the Rural Australians for Refugees Organisation. The Rural Australians for refugees web site has good suggestions for writing to detainees and some sample letters which can be viewed here; http://www.ruralaustraliansforrefugees.org/template.php3?area=resources&content=suggestions. If you are in a location which will enable you to visit as well as telephone
and write to a friend in the Baxter Detention Centre then please contact the
Port Augusta RAR group. We know the best ways to visit, to make phone calls, to send
gifts etc. You should contact us for advice. We can send
you some very comprehensive information which will save you time, money and disappointment. To write to a friend detained in Baxter, address letters:
Telephoning to/from BaxterPeople detained in Baxter can access phones but they must have phone cards. The best phone cards to send are Alpha and Excel phonecards. Before telephoning an asylum seeker detained in the Baxter centre it is useful to first send a letter identifying yourself and the fact that you are a friend. You should ask them to put your name on their telephone list. If you want to try telephoning in the first instance, you may be successful, but your name may be checked against the list and you may not be permitted to speak with any detainees. When you ring:
Tip: allow plenty of time for a phone call as it can sometimes take a long time to get through and be prepared for frustration with engaged lines!. The Rural Australians for Refugees web site also has good tips for
telephoning detainees
http://www.ruralaustraliansforrefugees.org/template.php3?area=resources&content=suggestions#tele As we try to ensure all people detained in Baxter IDF have some contact and the kind of support best suited to their needs, we would benefit from information about the people you contact. Please use our online form to supply this information
Visiting Baxter
Arranging A Visit
Your friends in Baxter should have your name on their "visitor list".
They need to fill in a request form for you to visit them. This protects them
from unwanted visitors.
You will need to send or fax a Visitor Identification Form and a Conditions of Entry form (4 separate pages) at least 72 hours prior to your intended visit. Tip: the visiting centre is not very big and there are number restrictions so it is best to get your application form in as early as possible (a few weeks prior to your intended visit) or to telephone the visit centre and ask if there is space in the sessions you plan to visit, especially if you are applying close to your intended visit date. Copies of the forms can be downloaded from here for printing (pdf format 168 kb):
So you must send all 4 pages ensuring that you are signing both the Visitor Application Form and the Conditions of Entry. To download the form(s) to your hard drive so you can use them later, click the link with the right hand mouse button and select "Save Target as"
These should be sent to:
An officer will sometimes ring you to let you know that your visit has NOT been approved and give you the opportunity to select another time. DO NOT assume that your visit has been approved and arranged. We suggest that you telephone the Visitors Processing Centre and check that your application to visit has arrived. It is best to phone during visits sessions, and after processing of visitors is complete ie between 9.30 am - 11.30 and 1.30 - 3.30 pm.
If you phone the swithboard on (08) 8641 8900 you can be put through to the phone in the Detention Officer's office in the Visitor's Centre proper. As of January 2006 there are new visiting session times:
How To Get To BaxterBaxter Centre is located approximately 10.5 kilometres north-west of Port Augusta. To get there: on the main highway through Port Augusta, heading north of the town centre (towards Whyalla), cross the bridge over the Gulf. Turn left at the first set of traffic lights onto Caroona Road (also known as the Old Whyalla Road) Continue west for 10.5 kilometres. The Centre is on the left. Turn left off the Old Whyalla Road into the Centre driveway and turn right into the car park. Getting Inside And Your Visit1. To the left of the car park is a free standing brick building- the ”visitor reception area•. This is where you need to go. If the door is locked, go to the personnel gate (to the left of the main vehicle gate) and press the red button and await a response. An officer will ask who you are and why you are there. Give your name and say that you are there for a visit and that the visitor reception centre is unattended. Tip: there is no real benefit in getting there early as you will not be processed and allowed in any earlier. 2. The officers will check your photo id and enter the details on their computer. Please ensure your photo id has your correct address. 3. If you have taken gifts for detainees with you, they will be recorded in a receipt book, scanned, and left to go through "property". The detainees should get their gifts within 1-4 days. Tip:If you are taking a few gifts in, or gifts for more than one person, the paper work and inspecting can take a lot of time and reduce the amount of time that you have for your visit . . . . so maybe take the gifts another time. 4. As you are not allowed to take any personal items in with you, you will be allocated a locker (even if just for your keys and your ID). The locker key stays with you. You must empty everything out of your pockets and put in the locker. You cannot take anything (except sunglasses and cigarettes, but no lighter) in with you. Tip:you are allowed to take food in plastic containers into the visits centre, and some games and a minimal amount of photos (20 is the allowed maximum - they must be sighted). Any food taken into the centre must be consumed there or taken back out with you. Detainees are not allowed to take food away with them. 5. You will have a wristband placed on your wrist with an identification number which relates to our paperwork and your hand stamped with a stamp that fluoresces under blue light. 6. The officer will inform the group of the rules and regulations for entering the Centre and you must adhere to these conditions. 7. You will then be taken to the personnel gate and taken through the walk way into the next "processing area". 8. Once in this area you will need to "sign in• the visitor book. Your food/games will be scanned through the x-ray unit and you will be taken through a metal detector. You may be asked to check through the items in any bags with an officer. 9.You will then be taken to the main visiting room by an officer. You enter through another office, and then through a "passageway•. Only one door in the •passageway•can be opened at a time. It can get claustrophobic- so be prepared!. Once in the visit area you will have to sit and wait for your friends to be collected called and walk from their compound. This can take a while. You can help yourself to tea, coffee and cordial. 10. Once your friends arrive, you can sit inside the visiting centre or you can go ”outside• into an enclosed grassed area. 11. You will be advised when the visiting time is nearly over. In fact, an announcement is made over the loud speaker when there is ten minutes to closing time, and then again when there is five minutes remaining. This can be a bit disconcerting, but will give you the message that you need to pack up and start saying good-byes. The detainees may or may not be taken out first. You will need to wait until the officer is ready to take you back to the registration area. You will need to show your stamped hand under the blue lamp on your way out of the office. 12. You are then taken back through to the visitor reception area (your belongings need to be scanned on the way out again). You must ”sign out• and have your tag removed after passing back through the metal detector (although not actually checked on your way out). You then follow the officer back to the visitor reception area where you can collect your belongings and return the locker key. Feedback:If there are any issues from your visit that you feel should be addressed,
please contact us.
via our online form. you can ask the Ombudsman to investigate specific issues http://www.ombudsman.sa.gov.au/start.html
Ph 1800 182 150
or
Fax 08 8226 8602
Travel to Port Augusta
Premier Stateliner provides a bus service between Adelaide and Port
Augusta -
Taxi services within Port Augusta are provided by:
Car Rental services in Port Augusta are :
Accomodation In Port Augusta
For information on accommodation and tourist attractions in Port Augusta: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||