Refugee Council of Australia CEO Paul Power has today asked Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to end the offshore detention regime now that the government has “made its point about boat arrivals clearly to the world”.
In a letter to Mr Turnbull on the fourth anniversary of Kevin Rudd’s establishment of the “regional resettlement arrangement” with Papua New Guinea, Mr Power highlights the growing level of concern and despair within Australia about the nation’s treatment of over 2000 people held indefinitely in PNG and Nauru, most of whom have been found to be refugees.
The letter highlights the ongoing mental anguish of the people detained in the centres, who continue to live with profound uncertainty about their future. “None of them has ever wanted to be in detention,” Mr Power says. However, their freedom should not come at any cost, and the alternative that they now face, of abandonment “with no future and no hope in PNG”, is equally abhorrent, he argues.
The offshore detention policy has justifiably garnered widespread international condemnation from around the world, the letter states, drawing on a number of high profile reports as well as personal conversations with officials of other governments and the UN. “In every single conversation, it has been emphasised to me that (…) Australia should not expect other nations to take on this responsibility, particularly given the current scale of global displacement”, Mr Power says. “Internationally, the protection of these refugees is seen clearly as Australia’s responsibility”.
Mr Power’s letter ends with a plea to the Government on behalf of the Refugee Council of Australia and its network to intervene to provide safety, certainty and protection to those concerned. “Your government has made its point about boat arrivals clearly to the world. Everyone understands the government’s position. No new arrivals have been sent to offshore processing centres for more than three years.
“There is no need to prolong the suffering, uncertainty and fear of those who have now been held for between three and four years”, Mr Power states. “The only practical and decent thing for the Australian Government to do is to provide ongoing protection for those currently being held in the offshore processing arrangements in PNG and Nauru – and to do so urgently.”
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The text of the letter follows.
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19 July 2017
The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP Prime Minister of Australia Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600
Dear Mr Turnbull,
Today marks the fourth anniversary of Kevin Rudd’s announcement of the “Regional Resettlement Arrangement” with Papua New Guinea (PNG). This, and the subsequent arrangement with Nauru has resulted in over 2000 people, who sought Australia’s protection being sent to long-term detention in PNG and Nauru. Over four years, this policy has created much psychological harm to those subject to it, has cost Australian taxpayers $5 billion and has seriously damaged Australia’s reputation within the international community.
The impacts of this policy have been documented in many international and national reports, including by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Save the Children, the Australian Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, the Senate Select Committee on the Recent Allegations Relating to Conditions and Circumstances at the Regional Processing Centre in Nauru, Australian Human Rights Commission, Australian National Audit Office and the government-commissioned reports by Robert Cornall AO and Philip Moss.
A significant majority of the people sent by the Australian Government to PNG and Nauru have subsequently been found to be in need of refugee protection under refugee assessment arrangements which Australia has helped to set up. Internationally, the protection of these refugees is seen clearly as Australia’s responsibility. Over the past two years, as more of the people sent to Nauru and PNG have been given refugee status, I have taken opportunities to discuss their situation quietly with officials of other governments and UN agencies. In every single conversation, it has been emphasised to me that the protection of these refugees is Australia’s responsibility and Australia should not expect other nations to take on this responsibility, particularly given the current scale of global displacement. In that regard, the deal brokered with the United States is exceptional, as many of Australia’s other close allies have no interest in a similar arrangement.
Last month, I was present at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva when the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, Professor Francois Crepeau, delivered his report on his visit to Australia and the offshore processing centre in Nauru. On the following day, Professor Crepeau spoke at a meeting, in the presence of officials from many governments, outlining his concerns about Australia’s offshore processing policies. His presentation emphasised to me the pressing need for Australia to resolve the situation of the people it is holding in Nauru and PNG. Similarly, he highlighted that the international scrutiny of this aspect of Australian policy is increasing in the lead-up to the UN vote on Australia’s candidacy for the Human Rights Council.
The level of uncertainty and psychological suffering among the people in the offshore processing arrangements is demonstrated by the fears expressed by people who are now being pressured to leave the detention centre on Manus Island. None of them has ever wanted to be in detention and all have consistently asked for their detention to end. However, now that they are being told that they must leave the centre and live in the community on Manus Island, they are deeply worried about their safety and their future. They have seen that others living in the community in PNG have been assaulted, left destitute and without work and fear that this will happen to them. Their underlying fear is that, once they are forced to leave the detention centre, Australia will abandon them and leave with no future and no hope in PNG.
Since 1981, the Refugee Council of Australia has worked with a wide network of Australian organisations and citizens interested in our nation’s response to refugees. Regarding the offshore processing policy, the depth of concern and despair about aspects of Australian policy has never been greater in our network than it is now. Furthermore, it is clear that millions of Australians share this concern and despair. In years past, I as an Australian citizen, would never have imagined that my nation would receive so much justified international criticism for its human rights record. I and millions of other Australians would never have imagined that the Australian Government would spend so much money on adding to the suffering of vulnerable people.
All of us associated with the Refugee Council of Australia and our network of members and supporters plead with you to intervene to give certainty, safety and protection to the people subject to Australia’s offshore policy. Your government has made its point about boat arrivals clearly to the world. Everyone understands the government’s position. No new arrivals have been sent to offshore processing centres for more than three years. There is no need to prolong the suffering, uncertainty and fear of those who have now been held for between three and four years. Ultimately, the only practical and decent thing for the Australian Government to do is to provide ongoing protection for those currently being held in the offshore processing arrangements in PNG and Nauru – and to do so urgently.
Yours faithfully,
Paul Power
Chief Executive Officer
Refugee Council of Australia