Doctors who have referred offshore patients to Australia for medical treatment are unhappy with the quality and timeliness of the government’s response. The doctors say that a lack of face-to-face interpreter services and bureaucratic and Ministerial delays could be impeding medical care, especially for those with mental health issues. The government wants to repeal the Medevac legislation, which allows doctors to refer patients to Australia if necessary, subject to Ministerial veto. Medevac supporters rallied in capital cities, and rural supporters gathered at Parliament House this week to tell MPs they were against the repeal. The Refugee Council of Australia believes the vote will be deferred until after 25 November, as the government doesn’t yet have the numbers in the Senate. Senator Lambie holds the effective casting vote, and said she is still considering her decision.
Behrouz Boochani, the well-known Kurdish poet and author of No Friend but the Mountains, left Papua New Guinea after 6 years, and said he is not going back. Currently in New Zealand for a literary event, it is unclear whether he will claim political asylum there, or continue to the US where he was offered a protection visa, which may now be affected by his visit to NZ. His story of the conditions at Manus Island is widely hailed and received a number of literary awards. He was a public campaigner for his fellow prisoners, and gained much attention towards their plight.
The trial of the Nauru 19 starts this coming Monday on the island, but two of the group have applied for political asylum in Australia. Their charges relate to protests in 2015 against the expulsion of three MPs from Nauru’s parliament for their criticism of the government. There is criticism from inside and outside the country of government interference with the judicial system.
Detainees at the Bomana Immigration Centre in Port Moresby spoke out this week about conditions ‘designed to torture’ in the Australian-funded centre. The head of Australia’s offshore processing regime, Major General Craig Furini, said recently that the government does not know what goes on inside. The centre apparently holds 47 men, with six more released for imminent return to their origin country. The harsh conditions are said to include severe food and water rations, no books or phones, and no legal support or access to their families.
Former refugees now in Australia are organising a concert at Bogor, Indonesia on December 2 for asylum seekers ‘stuck’ in Indonesian camps, with Australia unwilling to accept any of them for resettlement. It is the third annual concert, and features Afghan singers from Australia, Sweden and Afghanistan, as well as a Tajik singer from Tajikistan. The event is near to Cisarua, where the Staging Post support project is based. Around 3000 attendees are expected.