PAPUA NEW GUINEA ARRANGEMENT

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country of around 12 million people to Australia’s north. PNG comprises six hundred islands and an ethnically and linguistically diverse population. Since 2001, PNG has cooperated with Australia to process the claims of asylum seekers intercepted at sea as part of the Pacific Solution.

Background to regional processing in PNG

In September 2012, Australia and PNG signed an MoU providing for the transfer of asylum seekers from Australia to PNG for processing. Processing began in November 2012. In July 2013, the two countries entered into the Regional Resettlement Arrangement (RRA), an overarching framework that provides for the processing of asylum claims and permanent resettlement of refugees in PNG. The RRA is supported by a second MoU, signed in August 2013. The RRA is paid for entirely by Australia. Under the RRA, unauthorised maritime arrivals intercepted at sea by Australian officials are transferred to detention at the Manus Island Regional Processing Centre. The Manus Island RPC is located in Manus Province, one of the smallest of PNG’s 22 provincial divisions.

Manus Island Regional Processing Centre

The Manus Island RPC operated from 2013 to 2017. During this time, the UNHCR, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other NGOs reported on the harsh conditions and poor treatment of asylum seekers and refugees. In April 2017, the Australian government Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs released a report on the allegations of abuse, self-harm and neglect in the Nauru and Manus Island RPCs. 

There were frequent protests and unrest at the centre. In February 2014, Iranian asylum seeker Reza Barati was killed at the RPC after violent riots broke out. Two PNG nationals were convicted in PNG’s Supreme Court of killing Mr Barati and were sentenced to 10 years in jail. In April 2017, on Good Friday, there was an armed attack on the centre by PNG military personnel.

There were also allegations of inappropriate medical care, which arose after the deaths of two men at the Manus Island RPC. In August 2014 Hamid Khazaei died after contracting an infection. An inquest into his death found it was preventable and had followed a series of medical errors and delays. In December 2016 Faysal Ishad Ahmed, who had repeatedly sought medical help for his health issues, died after collapsing.

There were persistent high rates of self-harm and suicide attempts at the RPC. In August 2017, Iranian asylum seeker Hamed Shamshiripour died by suicide. In October 2017, a Sri Lankan asylum seeker, Rajeev Rajendran, died by suspected suicide. Salim Kyawning, a stateless Rohingya man, died by suicide in May 2018.

In February 2015, a class action was brought in the Supreme Court of Victoria on behalf of people detained at the Manus Island RPC between 2012 and 2014. The government agreed to settle the claim in 2017, paying more than $70 million in damages. It is believed to be the largest human rights class action settlement in Australian history.

In April 2016, the PNG Supreme Court ruled that the detention of asylum seekers at the Manus Island RPC was illegal and unconstitutional. The Court held that the detention of asylum seekers was contrary to their right of personal liberty enshrined in section 42 of the Constitution of PNG. The Court ordered the governments of Australia and PNG to take all necessary steps to cease and prevent the detention of asylum seekers at the centre.

In compliance with the order, the Manus Island RPC became an ‘open centre’ in May 2016 and the Australian and PNG Governments committed to fully closing the centre by 31 October 2017.

In November 2016, it was announced that a deal had been made with the United States to resettle people in detention on Nauru and Manus Island. While the Manus Island RPC began closing in June 2017, some men were being resettled to the United States. Other men were progressively transferred to alternative accommodation. On the official closure date of 31 October 2017, essential services such as power and water were turned off, and staff and service providers, including those providing food and medical assistance, exited the centre. Over 600 refugees initially refused to move, in protest over the length of time they have been held on Manus Island and fears for their safety in the local community. In November 2018, the Refugee Council of Australia and Amnesty released a report outlining the poor conditions in the alternative accommodation facilities and continuing restrictions on the movements of refugees and people seeking asylum living there.

In 2021, the Australian government announced that it would no longer send asylum seekers to PNG, formally ending almost two decades of regional processing in PNG.

Current situation

At the end of 2024, approximately 64 asylum seekers and refugees subject to offshore processing on Manus Island remained in PNG. Approximately 472 people from Manus Island have been resettled to other countries, predominantly the United States, as well as Canada, and New Zealand.

With the finalisation of the RRA in December 2021, the PNG government assumed full responsibility for the remaining asylum seekers and refugees. However, in 2023, the Guardian reported that the Australian government continued to provide welfare support for refugees through a confidential bilateral agreement with the PNG government. The Australian government has refused to disclose information on the funding arrangements. In November 2023, the funding was abruptly cut off, resulting in asylum seekers and refugees facing eviction threats and a lack of essential support services. The funding was reinstated around a year later. The remaining individuals in PNG report poor physical and mental health, difficulty finding work due to high rates of unemployment, and a general lack of security in the local community.

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Last updated 3 March 2025