Weekly media round-up No. 13

Relationships with Indonesia were strained by revelations Prime Minister Yudhuyono’s phone was targeted by Australian security officials in 2009. The diplomatic fallout of the past week cast doubt on the viability of the government’s asylum seeker policy, which relies on cooperation with Indonesia. Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard urged Mr Abbott not to tap phones in future.

A senior Indonesian immigration official indicated that the government will cease surveillance aimed at stopping boat traffic. At the same time, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison assured the public that the Coalition’s policy will operate independently of Indonesia’s policy.

Mr Morrison predicted that the coming weeks would be a time of higher arrivals as people smugglers sought to launch attempts before the beginning of the monsoon season. 40 asylum seekers were rescued when the navy boat towing them toward Christmas Island damaged their vessel’s bow, making it unseaworthy.

ABC’s Four Corners revealed that people smugglers have been selling travel documents in Indonesia, allowing asylum seekers to fly into Australia on commercial flights, as opposed to arriving by boat. Meanwhile, during questioning at the Senate Estimates hearings, DIAC Secretary Martin Bowles revealed the cost of detaining asylum Seekers on Nauru and Manus Island was almost $1 billion this financial year.

Criticism of the government’s engagement with the media on asylum issues has continued. The challenge of maintaining secrecy around operational issues was highlighted this week, when the head of Operation Sovereign Borders, Angus Campbell, confirmed to a Senate committee that the boat buy-back scheme had been scrapped.

A Rohingyan woman delayed her return to Nauru after recently giving birth in a Brisbane hospital. 

Weekly media round-up No. 12

After a stand-off with Indonesia over an asylum boat, which reinforced the complexity of Australia’s relationship with the country, Prime Minister Tony Abbott promised that the government will not yield to people smugglers. In an apparent misinterpretation of the international law of the sea, the Prime Minister claimed that Jakarta should take responsibility for asylum seekers rescued by Australian authorities in Indonesia’s search and rescue zone. Despite reports that Indonesia accepted two asylum seeker boats in this situation, the country may seek to limit the size of its search and rescue area.

At this year’s CHOGM conference, Mr. Abbott announced that Australia will give Sri Lanka two retired navy patrol boats to assist with regulating people smuggling activity.

Last week, an asylum seeker boat carrying 163 passengers was confirmed to have arrived in Darwin. Federal Opposition frontbencher, Tony Burke, called for the government to release more information about boat arrivals.

Workers in offshore detention centres reported that conditions have worsened for asylum seekers as a direct result of the change of government. In response to reports that a female asylum seeker in Brisbane was separated from her new-born baby overnight, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said that it was “common practice” for this to occur.

The account of two journalists who attempted to experience the asylum seeker boat journey to Australia was published in the New York Times magazine.

Weekly media round-up No. 7

Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison made his first visit to Nauru, where he inspected the detention processing facility. Under Operation Sovereign Borders, pregnant women seeking asylum will give birth on the island. Mr. Morrison claimed that crime rates associated with asylum seekers in the community are rising, a factor that has led to ten people being stripped of bridging visas since the federal election.

Reports suggest people smuggling operations have reduced in activity due to the Coalition’s hardline immigration policy, which Mr. Morrison states will not change amid speculation after Tony Abbott’s visit to Indonesia. In Jakarta, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib  Razak affirmed his commitment to assist Australia to tackle asylum seeker issues.

The European Commission has called for the support of a proposed Mediterranean-wide patrol operation  in a bid to prevent refugee deaths at sea.

Liberal Democrats Senator-elect David Leyonhjelm predicts that Prime Minister Abbott’s immigration policy will fail and has recommended an approach that would see asylum seekers charged $50,000 for permanent residency in Australia.

Former Howard government immigration minister Amanda Vanstone claims asylum seekers are targeting the media to gain sympathy, and hence, entry into Australia.

Weekly media round-up No. 3

With an asylum seeker boat carrying 88 people arriving hours in the wake of last weekend’s election victory, Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott is going about shaping the architecture of the Coalition government’s hardline asylum policy, Operation Sovereign Borders.

Two reporters arrived on Christmas Island after three days at sea on an asylum seeker boat. After speaking with the Australian Federal Police, the pair were processed and free to go. In closed detention, a group of Vietnamese asylum seekers staged a 24-hour hunger strike.

ASIO is reviewing the adverse security assessments of four refugees held in indefinite detention on the advice of independent reviewer Margaret Stone. Outgoing Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus urged the Coalition to reconsider its election promise to abolish the review.

Internationally, Tony Abbott began talks with the Papua New Guinea government, hoping to maintain the arrangements that the Labor government put in place. Indonesia foreign minister Marty Natalegawa rejected the Coalition’s asylum policies ahead of Mr Abbott’s visit to Jakarta.

Weekly media round-up No. 2

The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has released a summary to help you understand where the parties contesting Saturday’s federal election stand on refugee issues.

The Coalition announced that it would no longer be funding legal appeals by refugees as part of its regional deterrence framework this week. In a last-minute announcement before the federal election tomorrow, Shadow Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the move will save taxpayers $100 million dollars over four years.

Scott Morrison has urged for the police to be notified before asylum seekers are released from detention into the community. Liberal candidate for the seat of Lindsay, Fiona Scott, has linked asylum seekers to traffic jams and hospital queues.

The Greens have noted an increase in party support as a result of voters being alienated by the stances of the major parties on asylum issues.

After the attempted suicide of a Somali teenager on Christmas Island, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship has denied access to the Somali community endeavouring to provide the boy with support.

As a response to the long and violent conflict in Syria, Sweden has announced that it will grant asylum to all Syrian refugees who apply. Tobias Billstroem, Sweden's Migration Minister has called for other countries to acknowledge the plight of the Syrian people.

Weekly media round-up No. 1

Tensions between the Australian and PNG governments are increasing, as  disagreements on the implementation of the Rudd government’s PNG solution continue to grow.

Less than a week–and-a-half out from the federal election, absence of questions on asylum issues was notable in the leaders’ debate on Wednesday night, as Scott Morrison released additional details on the Coalition’s regional deterrence model a few days prior.

Clive Palmer’s claim that asylum seekers receive more financial support from the government than old age pensioners has been shown to be false. A UN Human Rights Committee review has criticised the government’s indefinite detention of 46 refugees that have received negative ASIO assessments. While Australia is not bound by findings the review, the legal framework under which asylum seekers are managed will be tested in three different cases in the High Court next week.