9.3 Facilitating visits Visits at YHIDC take place in a dedicated visiting area that is shared by people from all compounds. Private interview rooms are also available to allow people to access legal advice and assistance. A small room next to the visiting area has been set up for children and the Commission observed that it was sparsely furnished with limited toys. A significant number of people reported that their family members (including partners and children) and friends live interstate. Some raised concerns about their placement at the centre, questioning the reason they had not instead been detained in facilities in their home cities where they could maintain contact with their relatives and friends. ABF and Serco advised that, while efforts were made to keep people in close proximity to their relatives and friends, capacity issues in the eastern state centres frequently resulted in the need to transfer people to YHIDC. Figure 20: Visitor rooms Each person in detention is allowed two visitors per session, with a maximum of four visits occurring concurrently per session. Serco and ABF informed the Commission that there are rarely more than three people receiving visits per session on weekends and fewer on weekdays. Several people interviewed reported that they received visits from friends and community groups and provided positive feedback on these visits. More, however, indicated that they had not received visits while at YHIDC, with some noting that the relative remoteness of the facility (as compared to facilities in metropolitan areas) made it more difficult for people to receive visits. Figure 21: Non contact visitor rooms RECOMMENDATION 32: The Department should accommodate people in immigration detention as close as possible to family members and friends living in the Australian community. Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre Inspection Report • 2024 • 61