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May 7th, 2013 
Asylum seekers arrive on Christmas Island in April 2013. Picture: Sharon Tisdale
Source: PerthNow
TWO immigration detention centres will reopen to temporarily house asylum seeker families, the federal government says.
Immigration Minister Brendan O’Connor says both the Curtin and Wickham Point detention centres, in WA and the Northern Territory, will be reopened.
In making the announcement in Melbourne on Tuesday, he said families will be included in the bridging visa program.
Asylum seekers will be held at the centres as soon as redevelopments to ensure education, recreation, food and accommodation facilities are completed, he said.
“They will be detained there for only the period where they need to be considered for security, identity and health purposes,” Mr O’Connor told reporters.
After an average assessment time of 120 days, eligible families will be placed in community detention or given bridging visas, he said.
Mr O’Connor said the policy change was a more cost-effective and responsible approach to managing families seeking asylum, in line with recommendations by the expert panel on asylum seekers.
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