Weekly media wrap - 21 March 2016

The Australian Parliamentary Budget Office found the government would save 2.9 billion dollars over four years if it adopted the Greens’ policy to shut down detention centres and bring asylum seekers to the mainland for processing in the community. It warned, however, that the policy change could alter numbers of asylum seekers arriving by boat, and therefore the potential savings.

Indonesian foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, expressed the hope that Australia and other countries would assist in resettling refugees in Indonesia. There are currently around 14,000 asylum seekers and refugees in transit in the country, but Indonesia says it lacks the capacity to provide long-term solutions. The statement came in the leadup to this week’s Bali Process Ministerial Conference, a regional forum co-chaired by Indonesia and Australia.

In a visit to Australia, Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to negotiate a deal which would see Iranian asylum seekers whose refugee claims are rejected repatriated to Iran. The opposition insisted that safeguards be in place to ensure the safety of those returned.

Asylum seekers arriving in Greece will be sent back to Turkey in a deal agreed upon by EU leaders. In return for taking refugees, Turkey can expect ‘reenergised’ talks on its EU membership and 3 billion euros to aid resettlement. UNHCR stated the deal breaches the rights of asylum seekers under European and international law.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Flippo Grandi announced he will chair a meeting on March 30 to ask the international community to take 10 per cent of all Syrian Refugees. He stated that this did not require full resettlement for the 400,000 refugees, but that some countries could offer temporary jobs, scholarships or humanitarian visas to ease the pressure on neighbouring countries. Four million Syrians have fled the country since the civil war began five years ago.

Weeky media wrap - 18 May

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton confirmed that the first group of refugees is in the process of being transferred from Nauru for resettlement in Cambodia. The transfers follow the announcement in September 2014 of a deal under which asylum seekers in detention on Nauru can volunteer to be resettled in Cambodia.

As part of the 2015 Federal Budget, the Abbott government allocated $400 million to the creation of a dedicated new border enforcement agency called Australian Border Force. Up to 6000 officers will be hired by the Australian Border Force within two years.

The Asylum Seeker Assistance Scheme will also receive $21 million over the coming financial year. The funding will be partially offset by not renewing the grant funding of $140,000 per year to the Refugee Council of Australia. The budget also allocated $39.9 million to ‘anti-people smuggling strategic communications campaigns’.

A three-member panel was established by the Australian government to provide advice on child protection inside Australian detention centres on both the mainland and in offshore facilities. The establishment of the panel follows the final report released by the Moss Review, which found evidence of rape and sexual assault of minors.

A group of ten asylum seekers initiated proceedings in the High Court of Australia, challenging the legality of offshore detention. The Human Rights Law Centre represents the group.

Around 6,000 Rohingya asylum seekers and Bangladeshi migrants are adrift in boats in the Andaman Sea. The Rohingya are a Muslim minority in Myanmar who face statelessness and discrimination. Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia refused to accept the boats, though some migrants have been rescued in  Aceh. The United Nations warned the situation may become a 'massive humanitarian crisis'. The United States urged regional countries to refrain from pushbacks. Australian prime minister Tony Abbott said he was 'in no way critical' of regional countries turning back boats.

Meanwhile in Europe, the European Commission unveiled a plan to bring 20,000 refugees to Europe in the next two years.

Weekly media round-up No. 38

The 2014 Federal Budget released on 13 May contained a number of measures regarding asylum seekers.

The budget claimed an expected cost of $563.1 million in support services over the next five years for asylum seekers currently being processed in Australia. There is an additional $149.9 million over five years to process a backlog of claims and removals, and $27.3 million over two years for unaccompanied minors who will receive extra supervision.

The budget confirmed a new agency called Australian Border Force will operate from July 2015, merging Customs and Border Protection and border functions of the immigration department. The set up cost will be $53.6 million, and the force will receive a $480.5 million package to run.

The budget revealed that Indonesia will receive $86.6 million over three years as part of a regional corporation agreement to manage asylum seekers there. Christmas Island will receive infrastructure upgrades, extra health staff, and child asylum seekers will get better access to full time schooling. Malaysia will receive two retired Bay Class boats from 2015 to assist them in combatting people smuggling. General Angus Campbell warned that stopping asylum seeker boats entirely will take “years, not months, of collective regional effort”.

According to the The Australian, the success of Operation Sovereign Borders means $2.5 billion over five years will be saved. There will be savings of $283 million over four years through closing 10 detention centres and $38.4 million through ending the displaced persons program. There will be savings of $20.2 million over four years from the amalgamation of the Migration Review Tribunal, Refugee Review Tribunal and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

The Guardian published information from a G4S submission to the upcoming Senate inquiry into the unrest on Manus Island, including a timeline and account of the events leading to the unrest. As part of preliminary investigations by PNG authorities, The Australian revealed that 450 of the 1200 asylum seekers on Manus Island have been found to be genuine refugees. So far, 450 have not qualified and will be removed.

Fairfax published a statement from a spokesperson for immigration minister Scott Morrison that there were no psychologists on Manus Island, despite Mr Morrison having claiming there were in January 2014. A former case worker on Manus Island called for medical attention for a mentally ill detainee but was ignored.

The Senate passed an amendment to the Migration Act that excludes people who have been given adverse security assessments by ASIO from receiving protection visas. Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young is launching a motion of disallowance in the Senate to remove a code of behaviour in bridging visas that says asylum seekers over 18 must behave appropriately while in the Australian community or their visa will be cancelled.