Weekly media wrap - 14 June 2016

A boat bound for Australia carrying 35 Sri Lankan asylum seekers is being held off the coast of Indonesia. Indonesian immigration spokesperson Heru Santos Ananta Yudha stated that while their status was being checked and they were unable to go onshore, authorites were providing the passengers with food and water.

Documents concerning health and safety within detention centres were released to the Australian Lawyers’ Alliance. The documents showed that of 1092 injuries and assaults reported to Comcare by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and its contractors over a two-year period, 850 were not investigated. Comcare is required to investigate “notifiable incidents” which a Comcare spokesman defined as ‘deaths, serious injury or dangerous incidents’.

The European Court of Justice ruled that EU countries cannot imprison undocumented refugees and migrants for entering their country. The ruling came in the case of Selina Affum, a Ghanian refugee arrested in France whilst travelling on a bus with false travel documents.

Weekly media wrap - 6 June 2016

Immigration minister Peter Dutton said the government was not negotiating with Canadian officials, following media claims that a plan to resettle some refugees detained in Papua New Guinea and Nauru in Canada was being considered. Mr Dutton said talks had been held with many third countries in the hope of reaching an agreement quickly.

The Nauruan government decriminalised suicide and homosexuality to comply with international treaty obligations, following criticism from the United Nations and human rights groups. An Iranian asylum seeker was charged and sentenced for attempting suicide in Nauru last month.

On Manus Island, media reported that conflict had emerged between residents and newly released asylum seekers and refugees, with both locals and those newly arrived concerned for their safety.

A worker at Yonga Hill detention facility in Western Australia was suspended pending an investigation into claims he assaulted an asylum seeker. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection did not deny the claims, but would not reveal the number of other detention incidents referred to police in Australia.

The bodies of more than 100 asylum seekers washed up on the coast of Libya, likely from a boat that capsized on Wednesday. Hundreds more are believed to be missing from a separate capsizing off Crete. Italian authorities said 13,000 people were saved in the Mediterranean Sea in one week. Medecins San Frontieres reported that many of those who had reached Italy from Libya said smugglers had beaten or raped them. Warmer weather and the blocking of safer routes have been cited for the increase in crossing attempts and increase in tragedies.

Elsewhere in Europe, Dutch authorities reported an increase in people smuggler arrests, and the mayor of revealed plans to build an asylum seeker camp in the French capital. In Greece, two separate riots erupted between asylum seekers at detention camps on the islands of Lesbos and Samos.

Weekly media wrap - 16 May 2016

Papua New Guinea’s immigration department announced that ‘no asylum seeker or refugee is in detention’, as they are able to leave the Manus Island centre during the day. They must then return to camp in the evening. Lawyers representing the Manus Island detainees asked the Supreme Court to hasten their compensation claims for illegal detention. They are requesting $462.75 for each day they were held illegally.

On Nauru, a 26 year-old Bangladeshi refugee died after suffering a series of heart attacks. There are reports from other asylum seekers that he had consumed a large number of pills before he admitted himself to hospital on Friday with chest pains, but these reports could not be confirmed. More than 100 refugees who have been in Nauru for three years signed a letter to the Australian government asking to be allowed to board boats to seek asylum in new countries.

Naima Ahmed, a 22 year-old Somali refugee, was evacuated from Nauru to the Royal Brisbane Hospital and placed on life support, following an emergency caesarean section performed in Nauru. She and her baby were airlifted on separate planes. Immigration minister Peter Dutton reiterated that the woman had received appropriate care in Nauru and that $11 million had been spent on upgrading the facilities there.

Peter Dutton will not appeal the federal court ruling that he breached his duty of care to asylum seeker, Abyan, who was flown to Papua New Guinea after she sought an abortion as a result of being raped in detention in Nauru.  Dutton is now legally required to fly Abyan to a country with the necessary medical expertise and equipment to safely perform an abortion.

Frontex, the EU’s border agency reported that there was a 90 per cent drop in the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Greece last month, attributing this to the EU agreement with Turkey to send back migrants arriving in Greece by boat. The Norwegian Refugee Council however, claimed that the refugees are beginning to choose a more dangerous route, Northern Africa to Italy, to seek European protection. They cited the announcement by Italian coastguards that 801 migrants were rescued from boats off the coast of Western Sicily, many of them from Syria, as evidence.

Weekly media wrap - 7 March 2016

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill called Manus Island detention centre a ‘problem’ that has done damage to his country’s international reputation. According to Mr O’Neill, the centre should eventually be shut down. Mr O’Neill added that the PNG government does not have the resources to resettle the refugees already on Manus Island, leaving their future uncertain.

In Australia, immigration minister Peter Dutton refused to release a 70 year-old Iranian woman from immigration detention who has been held for three years. According to doctors, she is experiencing both physical and psychological problems. Under the Migration Act, Mr Dutton has discretionary powers to grant or deny Bridging Visas and his decision is not subject to judicial review.

The Greens introduced a bill to the Senate that would require the government to house families with children in the community rather than an immigration detention facility. The bill seeks to amend the Migration Act 1958 and would apply retrospectively.

The United Nations refugee agency warned of an imminent humanitarian crisis as refugees and migrants continue to gather on the Greek-Macedonian border. Balkan countries and Austria have capped daily refugee intakes, as crowded conditions in first ports of call, such as Greece, have led to shortages of food, water and sanitation. 

Weekly media wrap - 27 January 2016

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said 72 children in mandatory detention on the mainland would be transferred to offshore detention.  A group of 930 academics wrote an open letter to the Australian government urging the immediate release of children from detention.

An investigation by Fairfax media revealed that the Maribyrnong Detention Centre in Melbourne has the highest rate of detainee restraint and use of force by staff. The Villawood detention centre recorded the second highest rate of use of force.

In Papua New Guinea, Manus Island residents met to discuss the lack of benefit arising from the island’s detention centre. A spokesperson stated that too little of the $420 million of Australian Government aid given to PNG for hosting the centre has flowed to the Manus Island community.

The Danish parliament passed laws that delay family reunification for three years for people fleeing indiscriminate violence, and allow police to seize assets of asylum seekers over a certain value. 

Weekly media wrap - 21 December 2015

Whistleblower Major General Paween Pongsirin has been urged to return to Thailand to pursue allegations of human trafficking against government officials. Pongsirin sought asylum in Australia after he received threats for uncovering alleged government links to the trafficking of Rohingya refugees.

Guardian Australia obtained 700 pages of Fazel Chegeni’s immigration department file, refugee who died in November on Christmas Island. Mr Chegani was detained for more than three years of the four he spent in Australia. Elsewhere in the detention network, 16 asylum seekers are on hunger strike in Darwin.

Angela Merkel signaled Germany will reduce its future refugee intake. Mrs Merkel has been subject to domestic political pressure after Germany registered approximately one million asylum seekers in 2015.

European leaders met to discuss a proposal to create a EU border and coastguard to address the ongoing flow of refugees and asylum seekers into the region. The meeting also provided a setting to discuss refugee quotas amongst the region.

Weekly media wrap - 14 December 2015

Senate hearings showed that Australia’s offshore detention program cost the government an estimated $1.2 billion in the last financial year.  Charter flights between Nauru, Manus Island and Australia accounted for $20,265,000 of the total cost.  The return to Nauru of pregnant 23 year-old Somali refugee, Abyan (pseudonym), cost $115,000.

A senior Thai police officer, Major General Paween Pongsirin, is seeking political asylum in Australia.  Pongsirin, who had been leading an investigation into the trafficking of Rohingya asylum seekers, fears for his life following arrest warrants being issued to prominent politicians, police officers and military figures.  Human Rights Watch Asia deputy director Phil Robertson expressed concerns for Pongsirin’s safety.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) released its Statistical Yearbook for 2014. A record high of nearly 1.7 million applications for asylum were submitted to governments and UNHCR offices in 157 countries in 2014.

Read the Kaldor Centre's weekly news roundup.

Weekly media wrap - 7 December 2015

A program to take children in immigration detention on outings run by a group of Catholic nuns was deemed not appropriate by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. In an interview on ABC Radio, Sister Brigid Arthur said that while the Department had cancelled the program due to concerns about safety and supervision, 'the outings were amazingly free from incident. The people were so please to be out and about'.

In late November, the Senate voted to support an amendment to the Migration and Maritime Powers Amendment Bill 2015 (Cth), which mandated the release of all remaining children in onshore Australian immigration detention. However, the House of Representatives, controlled by the Coalition, chose not to include the bill on its business list for the final parliamentary sitting week of the year, meaning that the legislation will not be considered by the House until next year.

The 21st Conference of the Parties climate negotiations underway in Paris heard from a panel of European academics that climate related migration is increasing as people move for safety and because they have lost their livelihood. After meeting with representatives from Pacific Island nations at the negotiations, President Obama said that climate change could lead to 'tens of millions of climate refugees from the Asia Pacific region'. 

Read the Kaldor Centre's weekly news roundup.

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. 

Read the Kaldor Centre's weekly news roundup.

Weekly media wrap 3 August 2015

A male Afghan asylum seeker died in a West Australian detention centre during the week. The circumstances of his death are unclear. A spokesperson for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection said there was no indication of suspicious circumstances, though a fellow detainee said the man had been denied medical care.

A group of 46 Vietnamese asylum seekers were reportedly flown back to Vietnam. The asylum seekers reached the West Australian coast on 20 July 2015. The Australian Government refused to confirm the transfer or provide any information.

Asylum seekers on Manus Island whose claims have been rejected face imminent deportation according to documents obtained by the ABC. Australian authorities have not yet returned three former Manus Island Detention Centre workers to Papua New Guinea to face accusations of rape. Local police did not follow through on a threat to storm the detention centre and arrest its management if the men were not returned by Thursday evening.

Weekly media wrap 6 July 2015

This week the Border Force Act came into effect. The new legislation has been criticised for new rules providing that people working in the detention system can be jailed for two years for disclosing ‘protected information’. Over 40 doctors, teachers and humanitarian workers wrote an open letter challenging the Abbott Government to prosecute them for publicly discussing conditions in immigration detention centres. The World Medical Association also condemned the new laws. 

Roman Quaedvlieg was sworn in as Commissioner of the new Australian Border Force authority, the agency that merges frontline functions of the customs and immigration departments.  The Commissioner confirmed that detail on ‘operational matters’ of the agency would not be discussed publicly, but indicated that the laws would not override existing whistleblower protections.

On Nauru, a school within the detention centre is expected to close, with children aged seven to 17 to move to local schools. Concern has been raised about the child protection framework utilised by Nauruan schools and the risk of the children’s exposure to corporal punishment. 

An asylum seeker accused of sexually assaulting four girls at the Nauru detention centre has been moved into isolation along with his wife eight year-old daughter and, raising concern for the welfare of the child. The accused has been charged with sexual assault.

Across the detention network, workplace and safety incident documentation obtained by Fairfax media showed there were 449 incidents recorded between July 2013 and June 2014 for asylum seekers in detention centres as well as immigration workers and contractors in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

UNHCR reported 137,000 refugees and migrants crossed the Mediterranean in the first six months of 2015, compared with 75,000 in the same period in 2014. The majority of those taking the sea journey to Europe are refugees.

Read the Kaldor Centre's Weekly News Roundup

Weekly media wrap 22 June

The Australian government continued to refuse to confirm or deny allegations that immigration and border protection officials paid people smugglers to return asylum seekers to Indonesia. Despite suggestions that this alleged payment to people smugglers may have broken Australian and international law, Prime Minister Tony Abbott stated that he is ‘absolutely confident that at all times Australian agencies have acted within the law’.

Following an Indonesian police investigation, with reports that more than US$30,000 was paid to the smugglers, foreign minister Retno Marsudi requested clarification from the Australian government, stating that ‘in the context we cannot be blamed for believing that there was an illicit payment made on this issue’.

Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Tanya Plibersek, called for the government to provide a full explanation to Indonesia, arguing that ‘it is absolutely vital… to get this relationship back on track.  A Greens motion in the Senate to compel the government to hand over documents relating to these allegations was rejected on the grounds of national security.

Australia's peak health professional bodies released a joint statement calling for urgent amendments to the Australian Border Force Act 2015. The statement criticised the Act's secrecy provisions, which threaten up to two years imprisonment for sharing information about conditions at immigration detention centres. The statement says that the Act ‘actively restricts health professionals from fulfilling their duty to advocate for the best possible patient care’. 

The senate inquiry investigating conditions at the detention centre on Nauru heard from a former Save the Children case manager. The submission included reports of sexual assault and alleged that sexual encounters ‘had been filmed and circulated’ among security staff at the centre.

The UNHCR released an annual Global Trends Report: World at War, stating that displacement was at its highest level in recorded history, with 59.5 million people forcibly displaced at the end of 2014.

Read the Kaldor Centre's Weekly News Roundup

Weekly media wrap 20 April

At least 800 people died in the Mediterranean Sea when a boat capsized off the coast of Libya. More than 7000 people were rescued from boats in a four day period over last weekend. In response, UN special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants François Crépeau called for a global humanitarian plan to resettle refugees and regulate migrant mobility.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop invited Iranian officials to visit Australia to continue discussions about taking back failed asylum seekers, after being unable to reach agreement during her recent visit to Tehran.

The West Australian reported Australia is transferring almost 50 Vietnamese asylum seekers back to Vietnam from a vessel that was intercepted north of Australia earlier this month. A spokesperson for immigration minister Peter Dutton said no comment would be made on ‘operational matters’. Human rights groups have criticised the government for returning the asylum seekers Vietnam, where they may face persecution.

The ABC reported that a fact sheet about life in Cambodia was distributed to refugees in Nauru, with expectations that the first transfer of refugees between the two countries will happen next week.

The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) put forward a submission disputing a migration amendment bill to allow immigration officers to use ‘reasonable force against any person’ if the officer believed it was exercised ‘in good faith’.

In Darwin, there was a disturbance at the Wickham Point detention centre, where a spokesperson from the Darwin Asylum Seeker Support and Advocacy Network said he had been told there were 25 self-harm attempts. A spokesperson for Mr Dutton said reports from refugee advocacy groups were ‘wildly exaggerated and inaccurate’, but confirmed there had been a disturbance.

An Australian National Audit Office report has recommended that interpreters who are deployed to immigration detention centres should be given resilience training so that they can prepare for the “challenging and hazardous” conditions of the facilities.

Weekly media wrap - 19 January

A week of protest and hunger strikes on Manus Island culminated in the storming of two compounds of the detention centre by Wilson guards.

On Tuesday 13 January, 100 asylum seekers went on hunger strike, protesting resettlement in Papua New Guinea (PNG) enabled by a bilateral with Australia.

By Wednesday 14 January, 500 asylum seekers were on hunger strike. On the same day, running water became unavailable  at the centre. 

On Friday 16 January the entire centre was placed in lockdown, preventing staff from entering the compounds. Australian immigration minister Peter Dutton stated it was his ‘absolute resolve’ to prevent asylum seekers arriving in Australia and accused advocates of coaching self-harm, a claim that was strongly denied. 

By Saturday 17 January, more than 100 asylum seekers were under medical care, most from dehydration. PNG’s immigration minister Rimbink Pato reported asylum seekers sewing their lips and swallowing razor blades and washing powder.

On Sunday 18 January, four asylum seekers were placed in solitary confinement as asylum seekers barricaded themselves inside Delta compound. Amid conflicting claims over conditions at the detention centre, opposition leader Bill Shorten called for transparency from the government. Mr Dutton said asylum seekers had engaged in ‘aggressive’ and ‘irresponsible behaviour’.

Meanwhile, Australian and Cambodian officials visited Nauru, to discuss the deal to resettle refugees in Cambodia.

In Australia, advocates for 15 Iranian asylum seekers detained indefinitely in Darwin wrote to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants requesting an investigation into their detention. 

Weekly media round-up No. 44

The Abbott Government introduced a Bill which would toughen Australia’s approach to processing asylum seekers, including: changing the threshold for those seeking protection from a ‘real chance’ of significant harm should they be returned to ‘more likely than not’; requiring applicants to provide documentary evidence of their identity and nationality; and refusing visas unless the minister determines ‘ it is in the public interest'.

The Bill comes after the government offered Iraqi asylum seekers voluntary return packages valued at $6000, in a deal which Fairfax Media reported was taken up by fewer than 10 asylum seekers this month.

Footage emerged of a never shown message recorded in September last year from Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to asylum seekers detained on Papua New Guinea and Nauru. The Minister is heard to state, ‘ There are new rules in place under this government so I urge you to think carefully about your next decision and to make a decision to get on with the rest of your life and to not remain here and take the option to go back to the country from which you’ve originally come. ’ The footage follows an announcement by Operation Sovereign Borders commander Angus Campbell, who claimed that Australia is a generous country in relation to treatment of refugees.

A Senate inquiry into the deadly violence at the Manus Island detention centre in February produced evidence that Papua New Guinean police were given responsibility for taking control of the compound, contrary to previous statements from security company, G4S.

A boat allegedly containing 153 asylum seekers en route to Australia from India made contact with Australian media over the weekend, following a two week journey, with those on board stating that the boat was leaking and in need of assistance. Mr Morrison failed to make comment on the boat, and a second alleged boat interception off the coast of Indonesia, reporting that there were no significant incidents at sea.

Inside Story commented on the legal rights of babies who are born in detention and the health effects of detention on their mothers.

Weekly media round-up No. 43

Refugee week activities relating to the theme of ‘Restoring Hope’ raised awareness around issues affecting refugees. In 2013, there were with 51.2 million people displaced worldwide, six million more than in 2012. Over the same period, applications for asylum in Australia dropped by over 50%.

The High Court found that the Minister for Immigration does not have power to limit the number of resettlement visas issued within a specific financial year. In response, the government will seek to reintroduce Temporary Protection Visas, a move that relies on the support of Labor and the Greens in order to be passed in the Senate.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison and the Prime Minister Tony Abbott declared that it has been six months since the last irregular maritime arrival. The announcement follows a High Court decision upholding the right of the government to designate another nation to operate as a regional processing country. 

The Labor party debated and ultimately rejected a motion to reverse its support for the offshore processing of asylum seekers.

Following a series of revelations relating to the conditions of child detainees, UNICEF called for an independent body to monitor and report on the treatment of children held in Australian immigration detention.

The average time spent by asylum seekers in detention hit a record high in April 2014. Meanwhile, the ABC reported that the government is offering up to $10,000 as an inducement for asylum seekers to leave offshore processing centres and return to their home nations. The government further refused to provide assurances to Iraqi asylum seekers that they will not be returned to Iraq, despite the ongoing instability in the region.

A second Tamil asylum seeker attempted to self-immolate and was saved by housemates in Melbourne’s east. The man, who arrived in Christmas Island in December 2012, is on a bridging visa awaiting a decision as to his refugee application. The attempt follows the death of asylum seeker Leo Seemanpillai by self-immolation on 31 May.

On Nauru, three pregnant asylum seekers were transferred to Australia requesting abortions due to the harsh conditions inside the detention centre.

Weekly media round-up No. 26

On the weekend of 15-16 February, a riot broke out at the immigration detention centre on Manus Island. Twenty-three year old asylum seeker, Reza Berati, died and 77 others were injured. Thirty-five asylum seekers fled the centre.

On 18 February, immigration minister Scott Morrison said the violence occurred outside the camp perimeter. The minister emphasised the limited protection Australia could offer asylum seekers who had escaped the compound. Contractor G4S said asylum seekers breached the perimeter and the matter became a local law enforcement issue. The world refugee agency, UNCHR, expressed its concern in a statement. The minister announced a departmental inquiry into the riot.

On 22 February, the minister released a statement saying the events took place inside the compound, contradicting his statement five days earlier. PNG police fired shots twice during the event. The minister is under pressure to resign or be sacked due to his handling of the disturbance. Prime Minister Tony Abbott supported the minister, saying ‘[y]ou don’t want a wimp running border protection.’

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection accidentally published the personal information of 10,000 asylum seekers online. The minister for immigration ordered a review into the breach.

Amnesty International encouraged Australia to commit to accepting more than the stated figure of 500 Syrian refugees and expressed concern that Australia is placing Syrians on Manus Island.

Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, requested Cambodia accept asylum seekers. Her counterpart, Hor Nam Hong, said his country would seriously consider the request. Meanwhile, China criticised Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers, questioning the legality of return arrangements of refugees made by Australia.

Weekly media round-up No. 25

At 15 February 2014, there had been no asylum seeker boat arrivals in the previous 57 days.

A submission to a Senate Committee by the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce opposed a Bill granting discretionary power to the Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to determine approvals for Complementary Protection visas. According to the group, this legislation allows the minister to “play God”.

Minister Morrison dismissed concerns that differing accounts of alleged mistreatment of asylum seeker by Navy personnel may harm Australia-Indonesia relations. The minister played down Indonesia’s concern over the use of lifeboats to return asylum seekers that have entered Australia’s territorial zone. In spite of this tension, Indonesia’s policy to deny Iranians visas on arrival remains in place, which has seen a decrease over the past year in the number of Iranians attempting to enter Australia via the Indonesian archipelago.

In increasing efforts to assess the impact of the government’s immigration policies on public opinion, the Immigration Department commissioned Cubit Media Research to deliver “media positioning analysis”. In response to criticism of contracts worth $4.3m, a department spokesperson said the contracts were first approved and funded by the former Labor government. Professor Andre Markus argued refugee advocates are out of touch with public opinion on asylum seekers.

An Indian student committed suicide at a Maribyrnong immigration detention centre, after he was detained for overstaying his student visa.