Weekly media wrap - 23 November 2015

A boat carrying asylum seekers was intercepted 200 metres from Christmas Island. Unconfirmed reports indicate the boat was towed by an Australian navy patrol boat out to sea. This boat was the first to reach Australian waters since June 2014. It is not yet known where the boat departed from.

In Indonesia, The Jakata Post reported that Coordinating Minister for political, legal and security affairs, Luhut Panjaitan, had suggested offering an island as a temporary refugee camp. However Mr Panjaitan has denied offering Australia an island to temporarily house refugees and asylum seekers.

In Europe, investigations into the terror attacks in Paris continue, with reports that a passport issued to a Syrian asylum seeker was found at the scene of one of the attack sites. In response to the events in Paris, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees has made a statement “cautioning against the scapegoating of refugees”, reiterating the importance of preserving the integrity of the asylum system and acknowledging that the overwhelming majority of people coming to Europe are fleeing persecution.

In the wake of the recent terror attacks in Paris, concern was raised about Australia’s acceptance of refugees, and in particular this new intake of 12,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq. Australia’s Immigration Minister Peter Dutton rejected the call from a New South Wales State Government MP to stop accepting refugees from the Middle East and to close Australia’s borders, and indicated a continuation of existing border protection policies. A Syrian family of five arrived in Perth. This family is part of the first group of 200 selected Syrians to be the first of the 12,000 refugees to be resettled in Australia.

Weekly media wrap – 16 November 2015

Detainees rioted for three days at the Christmas Island Detention Centre after the body of refugee Fazel Chegeni was discovered on the island. Mr Chegeni’s body was found at the base of a cliff two days after he escaped from the centre. Detainees took control of the facility. The episode ended after the Australian Government sent Federal Police to forcibly regain control of the centre.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton suggested that foreign nationals whose visas had been cancelled led the riot. This allegedly included several New Zealand citizens. The minister stated that the coroner would investigate the cause of Mr Chegeni’s death. An investigation into the riot is also underway. The New Zealand Minister of Internal Affairs responded by comparing Australia’s offshore detention facilities to Guantanamo Bay.

At a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council more than 100 countries criticised Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers. Australia was participating in a Universal Periodic Review of its human rights record.

On a visit to Germany, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull distanced himself from Tony Abbott’s recent speech urging Europe to adopt Australia’s asylum seeker policy.

Italian diplomat Filippo Grandi was nominated as the next High Commissioner for Refugees to replace outgoing Antonio Guterres. Mr Grandi is a former head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA.

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Weekly media wrap - 10 November 2015

Refugee Fazel Chegeni was found dead two days after escaping the immigration detention centre on Christmas Island. Mr Chegeni, who was granted refugee status in 2013, reportedly attempted suicide several times in the weeks leading up to his escape. The cause of Mr Chegeni’s death, whose body was found at the bottom of cliffs on Christmas Island, has not been determined.  Greens MP Adam Bandt called for “a full and independent inquiry” into the incident.  Peter Dutton said he believed there were “no suspicious circumstances in relation to the death”.

Following reports of the death, unrest broke out at the Christmas Island detention centre.  Guards were withdrawn, citing safety reasons after detainees lit fires and knocked down walls. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton described tension between detainees and guards as a “stand off”..

The Australian government is reportedly considering Kyrgyzstan as a resettlement option for up to 1,500 refugees currently detained in offshore detention.  The plan to send refugees to the Central Asian republic, a country criticised for its human rights abuses, received widespread condemnation, with Greens leader Richard Di Natale describing the policy as “ridiculous”.

Following a visit to the world’s second largest refugee camp, Zaatari, Peter Dutton announced $44 million to supply refugees in the Middle East with survival items, including food and water.  Dutton’s visit to the camp reinforced his belief in the government’s boat turn-back policy, arguing that “a tough border policy in Australia means that we can offer a helping hand and a new life to those Syrians”. 

Mr Dutton stated that, in addition to the intake of 12,000 Syrian refugees announced in September, further humanitarian visas may be offered if Australia can “first demonstrate that [it] can bring the 12,000 across”.  Greens MP Adam Bandt welcomed the move but urged the government to consider resettling Syrians and Iraqis currently detained in offshore detention facilities.

Internationally, the first asylum seekers were relocated from Greece to Luxembourg in an EU program that aims to resettled at least 160,000 asylum seekers from Greece and Italy to participating EU countries. 

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Weekly media wrap 1 June

Asylum seekers on bridging visas, who arrived to Australia by boat after August 2012, began receiving letters this week offering them to apply for temporary protection visas. The Australian government has lifted a freeze on processing the claims of 'unauthorised maritime arrivals' who arrived from mid-2012, and has begun the use of fast-track processing.

A Senate committee heard that the Australian government spent $2.4 billion over two years maintaining offshore detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island, Papua New Guinea.

The family of a five-year-old Iranian girl is suing the Commonwealth of Australia and minister for immigration for negligence, which allegedly led to the child's severe psychiatric symptoms. The family is seeking financial damages and an injunction preventing their return to Nauru. This week the immigration department decided to transfer the family to community detention in Brisbane. Nauruan police are investigating the sexual assault of an Iranian asylum seeker last week.

Five detainees were removed from the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre or placed in solitary arrangements after confronting facility guards. Another group of 23 detainees, including some asylum seekers, have been transferred to Christmas Island from the Maribyrnong centre in Melbourne.

 Victorian Supreme Court Justice Stephen Kaye criticised immigration officials for blocking court ordered access for lawyers representing asylum seekers on Christmas Island. The lawyers were denied access to a group of asylum seekers who are suing the Australian government for neglecting to provide them appropriate medical care. 

The European Union sought a commitment from its member states to admit 40,000 asylum seekers from Syria and Eritrea landing in Italy and Greece. 

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Weekly media round-up No. 52

Papa New Guinean police charged two men with murder for the death of Reza Barati on Manus Island, with the search continuing for three more people believed to be involved. Two of the suspects who have not yet been located are said to be expatriates, however the Australian Federal Police indicated they have not received any requests from their PNG counterparts to investigate.

Immigration minister Scott Morrison claimed that detaining asylum seeker children was a ‘consequence’ of offshore processing policy at the Australian Human Right Commission’s inquiry into children in detention. Mr Morrison stated at the inquiry that children in detention who arrived after 19 July 2013 could not be released into the community without a temporary protection visa. This follows the government’s announcement children under ten and their families will be released into the community on bridging visas.

The Age reported a mental health ‘crisis’ at the Christmas Island detention centre, with one staff member attempting suicide and another a risk of self-harm. The Guardian Australia revealed strategies employed by the immigration department to return asylum seekers from Syria back to the country.

Refugee advocates challenged the legality of the government’s month-long detention of 157 Tamil asylum seekers on a customs vessel, with a court hearing set for October, possibly including United Nations involvement. Meanwhile, the Cambodian opposition leader disclosed the Australian Government’s plan to resettle refugees on a remote island off the coast of Cambodia.

A boat carrying 200 migrants sank off the coast of Libya, with majority of the passengers feared dead.

Weekly media round-up No. 46

On Sunday 6 July the Australian Government returned 41 asylum seekers to Sri Lankan authorities. The asylum seekers’ claims were assessed at sea using the controversial ‘enhanced screening’ protocol, wherein a determination of possible refugee status is made on the basis of an on-board interview. Sri Lankan authorities said the asylum seekers face criminal charges and will be interrogated by officials from the country’s intelligence department. Australian legal scholars criticised the Australian Government’s handling of the episode.

In a separate incident, a High Court hearing on Tuesday 8 July confirmed an Australian customs vessel currently holds 153 asylum seekers on the high seas. The Australian Government said the asylum seekers were intercepted outside Australia’s migration zone and as such have no rights under the Australian Migration Act. Lawyers for the asylum seekers argued that repatriation would constitute a violation of Australia’s non-refoulement obligations. The full bench of the High Court will hear the matter within 21 days.

The Australian Government confirmed that ten women – including nine mothers – attempted suicide at Christmas Island. Refugee advocates said the mothers attempted suicide in the hope that their orphaned children would be granted permission to live in Australia. In response, Prime Minister Tony Abbot said the Government would not be held ‘over a moral barrel’. A leaked report showed a six-fold increase of self-harm in detention since the introduction of mandatory offshore resettlement.

The European Asylum Support Office released its annual report. The report said 435,760 persons applied for asylum in the European Union in 2013 - of these, approximately one third were granted refugee status.

Weekly media round-up No.42

The Senate inquiry into the unrest at the Manus Island detention centre continued to hear witness testimony detailing the difficulties faced by asylum seekers in the compound. The inquiry was told that workers were given employment at the centre without an interview or training. Evidence given to the committee pointed to the Immigration Department retaining strategic control of the centre, despite its statements that the centre remains under the jurisdiction of Papua New Guinea.

Whistleblower Steve Kilburn articulated evidence that contradicted the official account of the events given by his former employer, G4S. Mr Kilburn warned the committee that he believed further violence would ensue if refugees were to be resettled on Manus Island.

The inquiry fell short of reviewing Immigration Minister Scott Morrison’s initial inaccurate comments surrounding the circumstances of the unrest – contrary to Mr Morrison’s previous declaration – which prompted the accusation that the Minister misled parliament. Mr Morrison’s claim that the processing of asylum seekers had begun weeks before the Manus Island unrest was also challenged by the release of a secret recording indicating processing had been frozen.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten labelled the former Labor government’s decision to dismantle the ‘Pacific Solution’ a mistake, stating that regional settlement of asylum seekers is the ‘best way to handle people who try to come to Australia.’

A report by KPMG found that the Department of Immigration is to blame for the data breach that exposed the personal details of almost 10,000 detainees.

The Age reported that two newborn babies and their families were shipped to Christmas Island detention centre, a location that is deemed inappropriate for young children by medical practitioners.

Large posters of sketches drawn by asylum seekers in detention or on bridging visas have appeared on buildings in Adelaide’s CBD.

Weekly media round-up No. 41

Tamil asylum seeker Leo Seemanpillai died after pouring petrol on himself and setting himself on fire in Geelong. Mr Seemanpillai lived in the community under a Temporary Protection Visa. Friends of Mr Seemanpillai linked his suicide to a fear of being deported to Sri Lanka. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said no one was in a position to speculate about Mr Seemanpillai’s reason for self-immolation.

Guards ended a week-long protest at the Christmas Island Detention Centre where four detainees were admitted to hospital. Detainees said guards used excessive force to break up the protest. Minister Morrison attributed the injuries to ‘non-compliant behaviour’.

An employee at the Nauru Detention Centre was dismissed for allegedly sexually assaulting a child asylum seeker, in an event that raises concerns for children in offshore detention. A Nauruan magistrate handed down a two year and five month jail term to an asylum seeker involved in a riot at the Nauru Detention Centre in July 2013. The magistrate said the sentence was intended to deter other asylum seekers in Nauru considering similar action.

The Australian Immigration Department sent a letter to asylum seekers facing deportation stating that they had 14 days to outline how the accidental online publication of personal details –  including names, nationality and dates of birth – could impact their safety in their home country. The letter further indicated that if the recipient does not respond within the given timeframe they will be ‘expected to depart Australia and removal planning will be progressed’.

An annual poll conducted by the Lowy Institute showed 71 per cent of Australians support the Australian Government’s boat turn-back policy.  Treasurer Joe Hockey said in Parliament, ‘As a result of all the action of this Government, there are no children floating in the ocean between Australia and East Timor’.

Weekly media round-up No. 28

Immigration minister Scott Morrison announced monthly ministerial meetings between Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) to coordinate the inquiry into the violence on Manus Island and the resettlement arrangements of asylum seekers

Several accounts were published of the February violence on Manus Island, including from an employee of the G4S security firm and from an asylum seeker inside the detention centre. The Guardian also published images that appear to show the aftermath of the unrest. Former Howard Government immigration minister Amanda Vanstone criticised the media for its coverage of how Mr Morrison handled the death of Reza Berati.

The Senate voted for an inquiry into the Manus Island violence. A spokesman for PNG’s Prime Minister said asylum seekers and workers from the detention centre should be flown to Australia to give evidence. The inquiry is in addition to the Immigration Department’s own inquiry.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called for Australia to review its treatment of asylum seekers and its agreement with PNG, to ensure its resettlement arrangements are ‘in accordance with international law’.

The Australian Human Rights Commission visited Christmas Island as part of inquiry into children in immigration detention. The Uniting Church offered to take in orphaned asylum seeker children, however this was dismissed by Mr Morrison.

The Federal Government re-introduced a freeze on granting protection visas to asylum seekers who arrive by boat, saying the freeze would allow them to issue visas to refugees from camps.

The High Court heard a challenge to a regulation denying permanent protection to those who arrive without visas. The challenge comes on behalf of a 15-year-old Ethiopian boy who entered Australia as a stowaway on a ship last year.

Following the withdrawal of ten artists from the festival, the Biennale of Sydney cut ties with Transfield Services, a service provider on Nauru and Manus Island.