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 - 23 May 2016

Immigration minister Peter Dutton said Australia faced the prospect of “illiterate and innumerate” refugees if it significantly increased its humanitarian intake. Mr. Dutton also said unemployment would rise in response to the Greens’ proposal to increase Australia’s intake to 50,000. The Labor Party has pledged to increase the intake from 13,750 to 27,000.

Mr Dutton’s comments were met with widespread criticism. High profile Today co-host Karl Stefanovic called on Mr Dutton to apologise, before espousing the historic contribution of previous waves of refugees to Australian society. Former Immigration Minister Chris Bowen also demanded an apology, however Prime Minister Turnbull and Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop have defended Mr. Dutton and the Coalition’s record.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale outlined the Greens policy priorities under a post-election scenario where the Labor Party is forced to enter a power sharing arrangement to form government. “More decent and compassionate treatment of those people legitimately seeking asylum” is a key focus for the Greens. Election analysis suggests that increased focus on immigration is a potential weakness for the Labor party – ceding voters to the Greens in the inner city and the Coalition elsewhere.

Fairfax reported that Department of Immigration and Border Protection officials are under investigation for alleged assisting drug and tobacco smugglers with illegal importation. The Department has said they are ‘working actively with law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of serious criminality by its officers at the border’.

The Greek asylum service found that returning an asylum seeker to Turkey under the EU-Turkey deal was inconsistent with the Refugee Convention. Under the deal, asylum seekers who arrive by boat to Greece are returned to Turkey. The deal is controversial as Turkey has not lifted the geographical limits to the Convention and NGOs have reported that Turkey has returned Syrians in breach of the principle of non-refoulement.

At least 10,000 unaccompanied children are unaccounted for by European migration authorities according to a report published by the European Commission. The report suggests that increased irregular migrant flows raises the risk of children being sold in to sex slavery and otherwise exploited. 

Weekly media wrap - 18 April 2016

Nearly 29,000 asylum seekers remain on bridging visas in Australia waiting for a decision on their refugee status. The vast majority have been in the country since 2012 and 2013, when the number of asylum seekers arriving by boat peaked. Some do not have the right to work.  

In Nauru, Iranian refugee Sam Nemati, was arrested, charged and convicted for attempted suicide. Prosecutors sought jail time of between one and two months to ‘deter other would-be offenders who resort to self-harm to avoid lawful actions against them or to get what they want’. Mr Nemati was given a 12-month suspended sentence.

In Europe, Macedonian Police fired rubber bullets and used teargas on protesting crowds of asylum seekers on the Greek side of the Macedonia-Greek border, injuring dozens of people. Both the Greek government and UNHCR condemned the action as damaging to Europe’s image. Polish EU minister Konrad Szymanski announced Poland would be unable to take in the 7,000 asylum seekers it had promised to accept in September 2015. 

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.

Weekly media wrap - 14 March 2016

Australian authorities intercepted a boat carrying six Bangladeshis and two alleged people smugglers  and transferred the passengers to an Indonesian fishing vessel for their return to that country. Indonesia’s foreign ministry said it does not support for Australia’s policy on turning back boats, and indicated a potential straining of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Recently released documents show that between December 2014 and January 2014, Australian maritime patrols unintentionally entered Indonesian territorial waters six times when turning back 13 boats. Australia later apologies for the incursions into Indonesian sovereign waters.

Iranian foreign affairs minister, Dr Mohammad Javad Zarif, is visiting Australia next week to discuss a possible deal for Iranian asylum seekers in Australia. Negotiations are likely to focus on allowing forcible removal of Iranians who are found not to be refugees, in exchange for guarantees that this group would not face persecution or punishment. Iranian asylum seekers represent a significant proportion of the ‘legacy caseload’ of 29,000 asylum seekers in Australia.

The office of the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, confirmed that two of the five refugees who were transferred to Cambodia have returned to their home country. The Australian Government has committed to maintaining the $55 million cost of the deal with Cambodia, regardless of the number of refugees that are resettled, and has spent an additional $2 million in resettlement costs under this agreement.  

In Australia, churches held ‘sanctuary training’ with instructions on peaceful resistance towards authorities who forcibly remove asylum seekers, as part of the #LetThemStay campaign. Senior staff of Australia’s largest asylum seeker service, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, have left the organisation, with claims of a toxic work environment and bullying, and concerns for the safety and wellbeing of staff.

A recent University of Melbourne study showed that amongst their focus groups, the most important driver of negative attitudes towards asylum seekers was ‘religious prejudice’ and concern for the  ‘Islamisation’ of Australia. The research concluded that more constructive public debate on issues related to asylum seekers was needed, to build knowledge and correct misconceptions.

At an emergency summit in Brussels, Turkey offered to take back all asylum seekers who cross into Europe through their soil as well as those intercepted in its territorial waters, effectively slowing the entrance of asylum seekers into Europe. European Union leaders have welcomed this proposal, and recognised this as a potential breakthrough in Europe’s refugee crisis. The UNHCR has distanced itself from the proposal. Meanwhile, the route used by asylum seekers to move from Greece to northern Europe has been blocked after Balkan countries Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia and Macedonia each closed their borders.

Weekly media wrap - 5 October 2015

Following the cancellation of a trip to Australia by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Francois Crépeau, more than 60 academics urged Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to allow detention centre workers to speak to UN representatives without fear of prosecution under the Border Force Act.

A report by the International Detention Coalition found that the cost of detention per person per day in Australia is more than twice as expensive as in comparable countries in Europe and North America. The ABC’s 7.30 program reported allegations that two refugees were raped in Nauru, leaving one pregnant. A third woman, an Iranian asylum seeker, remains in a Brisbane hospital after she too was raped in Nauru.

Australia is seeking to gain a seat on the UN Human Rights Council between 2018–20. Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs warned that while Australia has a strong rights record, its treatment of asylum seekers could undermine its bid.

In Europe, UNHCR expects more than 1.4 million refugees to arrive in 2015-16. Currently there is a daily flow of 8000 refugees in to Europe, including through the new entry point of a remote Arctic border to Norway via Russia. Hungary’s Prime Minsiter Viktor Orban called on Australia to accept more refugees.

Weekly media wrap 29 June

The Australian government amended the Migration Act to fortify the legislation against an upcoming High Court challenge to offshore detention. The amendments passed with the support of the Labor Party.

Opposition MP Joel Fitzgibbon suggested the Labor Party should consider support for boat turn-backs. Following the suggestion, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton urged opposition leader Bill Shorten to clarify the Labor Party’s position. Asylum seeker policy is anticipated to be a significant discussion point at the Labor Party’s national conference in July. 

NSW Premier Mike Baird announced public transport travel concessions for asylum seekers, referring to them as ‘the most vulnerable (group) in our society.’

Several parties challenged the legitimacy of offshore detention during the week. The United Nations said that Papua New Guinea is breaking international law by restricting individuals’ freedom of movement. In a separate matter, several hundred detainees joined an existing legal challenge to their detention under the Papuan constitution. The Australian government reportedly transferred an infant from mainland detention to Nauru. If accurate, this would be the second infant transferred to Nauru this year. 

European Union leaders agreed to resettle 40,000 North African and Middle Eastern refugees. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi criticised fellow leaders for a lack of regional solidarity. Over 100,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe so far this year.

Read the Kaldor Centre's Weekly News Roundup

Weekly media wrap 25 May

Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to resettle several thousand Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees. Thus far 3600 refugees have come ashore in the three nations. Naval vessels from Myanmar and Malaysia will be joined by the US navy in the ongoing search for the estimated 3000 refugees who remain at sea. Despite calls for Australia to more robustly address the crisis, Australia remains opposed to providing assistance. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Indonesian officials told her that the refugees are mostly ‘illegal labourers’.

A Senate hearing received testimony that security guards and service providers sexually abused refugees in the Nauru detention centre.

The Cambodia Government approved transfer of four asylum seekers from Nauru. This is the first transfer associated with the $40 million tied aid grant provided to Cambodia last year.

Police discovered several mass graves of suspected migrants near the border of Malaysia and Thailand.  The graves are believed to be linked to human trafficking operations.

An EU plan to distribute migrants across Europe on the basis of national capacity has been criticised by several Western European nations. The plan appears unlikely to gain the support necessary for implementation.