Immigration Minister Scott Morrison this week defended a possible arrangement with Cambodia to resettle asylum seekers to Australia. His visit to Phnom Penh follows a trip by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop earlier this year.
Asylum seekers will be able to settle temporarily in Nauru if found to be refugees with 60 per cent of claims for refuges status expected to be finalised within a month. Meanwhile, Australian Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs, head of the Australian Human rights Commission, has urged the Abbott Government to release children from detention. She also accused the government of orchestrating the denial of UN inspectors access to offshore processing centres on Nauru and Manus Island. Scott Morrison has rejected the claim.
The release of Bob’s Carr’s autobiography reveals his support for Kevin Rudd’s PNG solution, as well as his efforts to convince Julia Gillard to support Tony Abbott’s asylum policies upon entering federal parliament in 2012. Former Labor frontbencher Melissa Parke has urged the Opposition to soften its asylum policy following a poor result in the Western Australian upper house election re-run.
The Federal Court found that a refugee who spat at a guard and damaged property was denied procedural fairness in having his refugee status refused. A Sri Lankan asylum seeker has self-immolated and is fighting for his life in a Sydney hospital.
Charges against protesters that held a prayer vigil in the Sydney offices of Immigration Minister Scott Morrison have been dropped. Walk for Justice for Refugees rallies were held around the country on Palm Sunday.