The five local residents are hopeful to meet with the Prime Minister and the Immigration Minister and the crossbenchers to discuss the issue and seek support for my notice of motion calling for a Parliamentary inquiry into the proposed detention facility, which is scheduled to be debated today and voted on Thursday. 

 

The announcement to build this facility without first consulting the community has outraged local residents. 

 

The Prime Minister was in the Adelaide hills the day before the detention facility was announced, and did not mention a word about what she was about to do.  It took the Immigration Minister two weeks to make a visit, but the token stage-managed meeting 20 kilometres away from Woodside did nothing to ease community concerns. 

 

The community is so outraged by the lack of consultation that some are now making their own way to Canberra to speak to the Prime Minister and the Immigration Minister. 

 

The Prime Minister and the Immigration Minister should have consulted with the community before making this decision. Community members should not have to pay their own way to Canberra just to get answers. 

 

The community deserve to be consulted before the detention facility goes ahead. I will be doing all I can to ensure that the members of the community who have paid their own way to Canberra are given the time to be heard.