Memorials were held around Australia and on Manus Island for Salim Kyawning, the Rohingya refugee who died on Manus Island after jumping from a moving bus. Salim allegedly faced significant mental health issues while in detention, as well as epilepsy and frequent seizures, for which he had previously been sent to Australia for treatment. Fellow refugees on Manus Island claim that his death demonstrates serious health care concerns for those remaining on the island.
The Victorian Labor Conference’s scheduled debate on refugee policy was voted down at the last minute. Various unions joined forces to unexpectedly shut down the Conference and defer various motions to Labor’s administrative committee. It was originally anticipated that the conference would consider the closure of offshore detention centres and bringing remaining asylum seekers to Australia, amongst other social policy issues. The debate shutdown disappointed many party members who want Labor’s border protection and indefinite detention policies reconsidered, or at least debated. Confusion remains as to Labor’s overall policy position with varying views being voiced amongst party members.
Residents of the small town of Biloela in Queensland used the platform of TV program Q&A to make a public plea to Minister Dutton to allow a Tamil asylum seeker family to stay in Australia, following the removal of the family into the custody of Border Force earlier this year. The family has lived in Biloela for approximately three years, and the two children were born in Australia. The government claims that the family does not meet the requirements for protection in Australia. Residents of the town began a petition which now has more than 100,000 signatures.
The government may consider expanding a pilot program to assist skilled refugees to become requalified in Australia. The assistant minister responsible for the program, Nationals MP David Gillespie, said the pilot was showing positive results and that he had been discussing the scheme and employment opportunities with industry leaders, settlement services and key sectors. However, this proposal comes soon after the recent federal budget announcement requiring refugees to spend six months on Centrelink payments accessing employment services, as well as debates around regional and rural employment visas and proposals to prevent migrants from leaving regional and rural areas.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that Australia’s refugee resettlement deal with Cambodia will expire, as planned, at the end of 2018. This resettlement deal has been described as ‘unsuccessful’ due to significantly low number of refugees who took up the offer to relocate from the detention centres in Nauru to Cambodia.