Asbestos mitigation at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre has been completed ahead of schedule following around-the-clock work over Easter.

More than 11 000 tonnes of road base has been laid on the site.

The work was required following the detection of exposed fibrous cement pieces in a restricted area of the site in early April.

The affected area of the site, once dotted with migrant hostels built with materials containing asbestos, was handed over to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) in 2002 following extensive building demolition and site remediation.

Since then, ongoing air-monitoring has not found any cause for concern.

‘However, the likelihood of protests over the Easter period meant that the sheeting could have been disturbed,’ the DIMA spokesman said.

‘Although the risk remained low, such protests could have increased the potential for exposure to asbestos particles.

‘We are very pleased with the swift progress made in mitigating the site, and we are continuing to monitor the situation carefully,’ the spokesman added.

DIMA has temporarily relocated 260 detainees to other NSW and interstate facilities during the mitigation period.

‘We undertook to return the detainees by April 21, and we are on schedule to achieve this,’ the spokesman added.

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