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 - 9 May 2016

On Nauru, a second incident of self-immolation occurred. The young Somali refugee woman remains in a critical condition and is being treated in a Nauru hospital. In the wake of the incident, Minister Dutton criticised both the media and advocacy groups for encouraging asylum seekers and refugees to ‘behave in a certain way’ and for raising hope and expectation that through resistance, they may be able to come to Australia. 

A PNG representative appeared before the United Nations Human Rights Council through the Universal Periodic Review process, stating that the government accepts the recent court decision and is working to make arrangements for the men held within the detention facility. Australian officials met with Papua New Guinea (PNG) counterparts to put in place arrangements to comply with the Supreme Court ruling.  

In Australia, an application was lodged in the high court for over 750 refugees and asylum seekers currently held in offshore detention. The case will seek an urgent injunction to prevent this group being sent to Nauru following the expected closure of the Manus Island detention centre.                  

Elsewhere in the courts, the Federal Court of Australia found that the Minister for Immigration, Peter Dutton, exposed an asylum seeker to serious medical and legal risk by flying the woman from Nauru to PNG to terminate her pregnancy, despite this procedure being illegal in PNG. The asylum seeker became pregnant after being raped while in detention. The Federal Court also found that Australia owed a duty of care to the asylum seeker, a finding that may have broad ramifications for offshore detention.

The Australian Government released a statement offering regret for the use of unsubstantiated allegations that led to the sacking of ten Save the Children staff working on Nauru. It was alleged that the workers were coaching people held in detention to self-harm. The Australian Government will provide compensation to Save the Children. However Scott Morrison, then immigration minister, has indicated he would not make an apology to the organisation for the incident. 

A boat carrying 12 asylum seekers was intercepted off the shores of Australia’s Cocos Islands. The group of asylum seekers were flown to Colombo, Sri Lanka and have been arrested and taken into police custody in Colombo. The Australian Government has not made any comment on this incident, identifying it as an operational matter.  

As part of 2016-17 federal budget announcements, Minister Dutton announced to parliament that 17 onshore detention facilities will be closed. 

Weekly media wrap - 2 May 2016

Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court ruled the detention of 850 asylum seekers on Manus Island unconstitutional, however the PNG government will not shut down the detention centre immediately. Following the decision, lawyer Ben Lomai outlined his intention to ask for compensation from the Australian and Papua New Guinea governments on behalf of men illegally detained.

Immigration minister Peter Dutton said the men are PNG’s responsibility and that Australia will help resolve the issue, suggesting an open centre arrangement or transfer to Nauru. Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull restated the Government’s position that the approximately 900 men there will not be resettled in Australia. New Zealand Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse reiterated New Zealand’s offer to take 150 refugees from offshore detention centres.

Omid, an Iranian refugee on Nauru self-immolated in protest in front of visiting United Nations representatives. He suffered third degree burns to 80% of his body, was transferred to Brisbane and later passed away.

Four Labor MPs called for the asylum seekers on Manus Island to be processed and settled in Australia. Labor’s policy to support offshore processing was agreed upon at the party’s annual conference in 2015.

Young Liberty for Law Reform released a report recommending that section 6 of the Australian Border Force Act – the secrecy provisions – be repealed. The report included testimony from detention centre workers whose careers and personal lives had been damaged through speaking out about the centres’ conditions. 

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 - 10 April 2016

Immigration minister Peter Dutton said that the government had honoured its pledge “in spirit and in deed” to get all asylum seeker children out of immigration detention. The statement came as reports emerged that two children remain in immigration detention. Mr Dutton also vowed that all asylum seeker children who had been released would be sent to Nauru, once they and their families no longer needed medical support.

The High Court granted an urgent injunction to prevent an abortion being carried out on an asylum seeker who had been transferred to Papua New Guinea. Justice Patrick Keane, who presided over the hearing, said that the urgency of the matter and the gravity of the consequences for the plaintiff were sufficient to warrant the granting of the injunction.

On Nauru, two asylum seekers received medical treatment after police were summoned to respond to a protest at the Nauru regional processing centre. Footage, purportedly of the protest, emerged showing the confrontation between detainees and police. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection stated that seven service provider staff were injured while attempting to restore order. The asylum seekers are protesting against the Australia government’s refusal to allow them to apply for protection visas in Australia.

The Papua New Guinea government announced that it had finished its assessment of the claims to refugee status of the 850 men at the Manus Island detention centre. About 400 of the men were found to be refugees.

Social Services Minister Christian Porter announced that 180 refugees had been resettled as part of the government’s commitment to accept 12,000 refugees displaced by the conflict in Syria.

The first people were returned to Turkey under a recently implemented agreement between the European Union and Turkey. Under the agreement, all ‘irregular migrants’ arriving in Greece from Turkey face being sent back, and for every person sent back, a Syrian refugee will be resettled from Turkey to the EU. Refugees in on the Greek islands of Lesbos and Chios reacted angrily to the first deportations with some saying they would rather take their own lives than return to Turkey. In a statement, the UNHCR indicated that it did not oppose the agreement but that greater safeguards were needed to process asylum seekers in Greece.

Weekly media wrap - 29 February 2016

The mother of asylum seeker baby Asha was accused of intentionally burning her baby in order to facilitate their transfer to Australia for medical treatment. Queensland Police confirmed that they had completed an investigation into the matter and dismissed the accusations. Meanwhile, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, said that while the family had been released into community detention for now, they would eventually be returned to Nauru.

In a first for asylum seekers detained on Nauru or Manus Island, two refugees who spent three years living on Nauru, including two years in detention, have been relocated to Canada to be reunited with their family.

Following a meeting last week between Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his New Zealand counterpart, John Key, Peter Dutton this week rejected an offer from New Zealand to resettle 150 refugees now on Nauru, on the basis that it would provide an incentive to asylum seekers to travel to Australia by boat. Mr Dutton also confirmed that Australian border protection authorities recently turned an asylum seeker boat back to Sri Lanka.

Amnesty International released its annual report. Highlighting the ‘harsh conditions’ faced by millions of asylum seekers across the Asia-Pacific region, the report stated that Australia’s asylum seeker policies violated international law by ‘forcibly returning people to countries where they would face a real risk of serious violations’.

The UNHCR issued a statement saying that on average two children have drowned every day trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea since September 2015. The news comes as countries across Europe adopt more restrictive policies, including border closures.

Weekly media wrap - 23 February 2016

Asha, a 12 month-old asylum seeker, was released into community detention after doctors at Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital refused to discharge her until a ‘suitable home environment’ was identified’. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said that once Asha and her family’s claims are finalised, they will be sent back to Nauru, their home country, or a third country.

At an Australian Medical Association forum in Sydney doctors proposed to boycott working in Australia’s immigration detention system and to defy legal restrictions on speaking about conditions.

Malcolm Turnbull met with New Zealand prime minister John Key but did not commit to reviving a deal negotiated by former prime minister Julia Gillard for New Zealand to accept 150 asylum seekers annually from Australian detention.

Peter Dutton defended Australia’s rate of resettlement  of Syrian refugees, emphasising that national security is the ‘first and foremost’ priority and that faster processing would increase risk to the public. Twenty-six Syrians have been processed in Australia, five months after the government announced a special intake of 12,000. Canada has resettled over 20,000 refugees in the same period.

Weekly media wrap - 15 February 2016

This week saw escalating ‘Let Them Stay’ protests, following the High Court’s decision allowing Australia to detain asylum seekers offshore. Six state and territory leaders offered to resettle the 267 asylum seekers affected by the decision, however, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has yet to respond to the political and community pressure. 

Doctors at a Brisbane hospital declined to discharge a baby in an effort to prevent her return to Nauru. One-year-old ‘Asha’ was treated for accidental burns injuries at Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, where a spokesperson said she would be released only once ‘a suitable home environment is identified’. The case has attracted the backing of hundreds of protesters, who have camped outside the hospital in support of the doctors’ actions. 

The ABC apologised for confusing two cases of alleged child abuse on Nauru. ABC News Director Gaven Morris acknowledged the error in reporting the testimony of a paediatrician that a five-year-old was raped on the island and was being sent back to face his attacker. The paediatrician’s statement in fact referred to an older child, whom the paediatrician, Karen Zwi, maintains was raped. The five-year-old at the centre of the claims was allegedly sexually assaulted.

The immigration department confirmed paying Nauru $29m in visa fees to keep asylum seekers in detention. The cost of a visa for a single asylum seeker in Nauru has risen to $1,000 per month since the centre was reopened in 2012, in addition to the fees Australia pays to contractors running the facility.

The refugee crisis continues to escalate in Europe, with the Austrian government confirming it will reduce the number of asylum applications received in 2016, while Turkey has for the first time shut entry to Syrian refugees, claiming the country has reached its limit. The news comes as NATO entered the crisis for the first time, promising to deploy ships in the Aegean Sea to deter people smugglers. The move was criticised by some international aid groups.     

Weekly media wrap - 8 February 2016

In a majority decision, the High Court rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of Australia’s offshore processing system brought against by a Bangladeshi refugee. The decision upholds the government’s policy of returning 267 refugees to Nauru. Reporting pointed to changes to the Migration Act in June 2015 which undermined the challenge, and more recently, the Nauruan government’s decision to create an open centre.

In response to the court decision, a series of protests under the banner ‘Let Them Stay’ were held. Churches offered sanctuary to those who may be transferred offshore. Sanctuary is a common law principle yet to be tested under the Australian judicial system, which would provide protection against civil authorities. 

A medical team led by the Australian Human Rights Commission found that 95 per cent of children detained at Nauru are at risk of developing post traumatic stress disorder and recommended that children not be sent back to Nauru.

A government document prepared by the National Security Committee planning reforms of Australia’s immigration policy was leaked. The document showed plans to ‘create stronger controls over access to permanent residency and citizenship’.

The UNCHR estimated that 62,000 refugees crossed the Mediterranean in January 2016, sixteen times more than the 5,500 recorded in January 2015. Meanwhile, the EU called on Turkey to re-open its borders to Syrians fleeing fighting in Aleppo. It is estimated that 35,000 asylum seekers are currently trapped at the border.

Weekly media wrap - 18 January 2016

The crew of an asylum seeker boat who were allegedly paid by an Australian official to return to Indonesia were jailed on people smuggling charges.  The six crew members were each sentenced to over five years in prison and ordered to pay fines between $50,000 and $70,000.  The sentencing followed an Indonesian police investigation which found that the Australian Navy had paid the crew $US32,000 to return the asylum seekers to Indonesia.  An Australian Senate inquiry, due to report in March, will assess the legality of payments made to the crew members.

An independent report found that Save the Children workers sacked on Nauru in 2014 are entitled to compensation from the Australian government.  The dismissals were found to be politically motivated and based on ‘no evidence or reliable information’.  Save the Children CEO Paul Ronalds welcomed the report and urged the Australian government to end the practice of mandatory detention of children.

Twenty-eight refugees living in Nauru wrote to New Zealand’s Prime Minister, John Key, requesting permanent resettlement.  Despite a deal negotiated between Australia and New Zealand in 2013, in which New Zealand agreed to accept 150 refugees per year from Australia’s offshore detention facilities, no resettlements have been granted.  New Zealand’s immigration minister, Michael Woodhouse, responded to the letter, stating that ‘it is for Australia to take up the offer to utilise the… 150 places’.  Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull argued that resettlement in New Zealand could ‘result in creating incentives for people smugglers to get back into business’. 

In Papua New Guinea, Benham Satah, the key witness in Reza Barati’s murder trial, requested to be transferred to a different compound at the Manus Island detention centre, where he has been detained for over two years.  Satah, who was offered protection before giving evidence against two local men accused of killing Barati, said he is being targeted by guards and fears for his life at the centre.  A public petition requesting that Satah “be brought immediately to Australia and settled in the community” drew more than 16,000 signatures.

The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) called for greater government investment in organisations supporting asylum seekers.  RCOA toured Australia gathering information about the challenges facing these support centres, and will make recommendations to the Australian Government in February.

Weekly media wrap - 11 January 2016

Nauru police launched an investigation into claims that a six year-old refugee was sexually assaulted. The father of the alleged victim, an Iranian refugee, said that the alleged perpetrator remains on Nauru and has not been taken into custody.

Documents obtained under freedom of information laws revealed that the 23 year-old asylum seeker known as Abyan, who was transferred from Nauru to Australia for an abortion, had not ruled out terminating her pregnancy before being sent back to Nauru, still pregnant. Abyan was flown back to Australia several weeks after her return to Nauru and remains in detention in Brisbane where she is receiving medical treatment.

In Papua New Guinea, the managers of the Manus Island detention centre were accused of flying an employee who allegedly robbed a local bar out of PNG to avoid the country's justice system.

In Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she wants to stem the flow of refugees into the European Union, while preserving freedom of movement. Mrs Merkel's statement comes as Sweden moved to drastically reduce its refugee intakes. Sweden has introduced a requirement that all arrivals from Denmark show photo ID. Meanwhile, Denmark has imposed ID checks on its southern border with Germany.

Turkish authorities found the bodies of 34 migrants on the Aegean coast after the migrants tried to cross to the Greek island of Lesbos.

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 - 1 December 2015

The government refused to discuss the whereabouts of an asylum seeker boat which came within 200 metres of Christmas Island last week. The group of 16 asylum seekers were found stranded at sea near the town of Tabolong, on the western tip of West Timor, Indonesia. It is not clear whether the passengers on the boat made asylum claims, or whether any claims were assessed on board.

Also in Indonesia, two asylum seekers told an Indonesian court they witnessed Australian authorities paying the crew of their boat a cash payment in June 2015, before escorting them back to Indonesian waters.

An Iranian asylum seeker on Nauru protested to draw attention to the condition of the 95 children in detention on the island. See more statistics at Asylum Insight’s statistics page. Earlier in the week, the Australian Senate passed a bill calling for all children to be released from detention.

Germany will begin to deport asylum seekers from the Western Balkans whose applications for asylum have been unsuccessful. Balkan countries have imposed stricter border controls, allowing only Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan asylum seekers to pass through from Greece. The controls have been met with violent protests from asylum seekers on the Greek side of the border. The UN has warned of humanitarian problems as restrictions chiefly involve people being profiled on the basis of their alleged nationalities

Read the Kaldor Centre weekly news roundup.

Weekly media wrap - 2 November 2015

Pregnant 23 year-old Somali refugee, Abyan (pseudonym), will return to Australia for expert treatment, although the dates for her travel are unconfirmed. UNHCR spokesman Rupert Colville said that Abyan had refused to give information to the Nauru police because she is afraid of reprisals and that Australian and Nauru must enable Abyan to obtain mental and physical care and to terminate her pregnancy if she desires.

The Nauruan Government responded to the Australian media's coverage of Abyan's case, labelling questions put to the Government "ridiculous".  Nauruan Justice Minister David Adeang said in a statement that "Nauru has no obligation to answer the Australian media" and that the "media approaches us with great arrogance and an air of racial superiority, which is highly offensive to us".

Amnesty International released a report, entitled By Hook or by Crook, into claims that Australian officials paid people smugglers to return a boat of asylum seekers to Indonesia in May. The report includes photos, videos and interviews with 65 asylum seekers, the boat crew and Indonesian police.

A spokesperson for Amnesty International said that "from the evidence we gathered, the asylum seekers were arbitrarily and unlawfully detained. That is a human rights violation”. Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, criticised the report, describing the investigation into boat turnbacks as an "ideological attack". Minister Dutton vowed that the government was "not going to take a backwards step" nor "water down [its] policies".

Meanwhile, Australian doctors and other medical professionals gathered in cities across the country to call on the government to remove all children and their families from immigration detention.

Internationally, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott delivered the Margaret Thatcher Lecture in London, using the opportunity to call for Europe to adopt the Coalition Government's asylum seeker policies to address the current migrant crisis. Mr Abbott told an audience of British conservatives that Europe's compassion for refugees was leading it into "catastrophic error".

Read the Kaldor Centre's weekly news roundup.

Weekly media wrap - 26 October 2015

The return to Nauru of pregnant 23 year-old Somali refugee, Abyan (pseudonym), received international media attention.  Abyan, who was allegedly raped on Nauru, released a statement through her lawyers declaring that while in Australia she did not say no to an abortion, nor did she receive counselling or see a doctor.  Immigration Minister Peter Dutton maintained the government position that Abyan had declined treatment.

In response to the lack of transparency surrounding Abyan’s case, Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs called for independent monitoring of Australia’s offshore detention facilities.  Peter Dutton rejected the call, stating that current support was sufficient. 

In a challenge to the Labor party’s support of offshore processing, Labor MP Melissa Parke moved a motion to Caucus. Ms Parke is calling on the party to demand improved independent oversight or close the centres on Manus Island and Nauru.

In Victoria, Afghan asylum seeker Khodayar Amini, 30, died due to self-immolation. Mr Amini came to Australia by boat in September 2012 and was living in the community on a bridging visa. He reportedly feared being returned to detention.

On Nauru, police officers conducted a second raid on Save the Children staff at the detention centre.  Operating under a search warrant, police seized laptops and computers, in an alleged effort to locate whistle-blowers.

On Manus Island, asylum seeker Mohammed Albederee, who has been on a hunger strike for over six months, filmed a plea for help from the detention facility.

Diplomatic tension rose between Australia and New Zealand following the detention of 40 New Zealanders on Christmas Island.  The detainees, who have previously served prison sentences of 12 months or more, threatened to riot in response to their treatment.

Internationally, Google launched ‘Crisis Info Hub’, a site aimed to support asylum seekers in their search for transport and accommodation worldwide.

Read the Kaldor Centre’s weekly news roundup.

Weekly media wrap - 19 October 2015

A pregnant Somali refugee, who was brought to Australia earlier in the week to have an abortion, has been returned to immigration detention on Nauru. The 23-year-old was allegedly raped on Nauru. Asylum seeker advocates stated that the woman was flown out of Australia because of an injunction being prepared to prevent her return to Nauru.

However, the Australian Government stated that the asylum seeker no longer wanted the termination. The minister for immigration said that pregnant asylum seekers on Nauru would not be permitted to come to Australia. Nauruan police closed a second case of the alleged rape of another Somali refugee. The Nauruan justice minister said police may consider charging the woman with making a false complaint.

Having executed a search warrant, Nauruan police seized a number of phones and laptops that belonged to Save the Children staff and other contractors, allegedly in an effort to crack down on whistleblowers at the Nauru detention facility.

In Australia, legislation was introduced to parliament that tightens requirements for people seeking complementary protection visas in Australia. The new legislation means that protection could be denied and people returned to home if they face a ‘generalised’ risk, can change their behaviour or can relocate to a safer part of their home country.

Two welfare and overseas aid groups, ACOSS and ACFID, called for an independent guardian for children in detention, with concern around the conflict of interest the minister for immigration holds as a guardian for children in detention. These concerns have come as a new parliamentary inquiry is being established into the treatment of asylum seekers in the Nauru and Manus Island offshore detention centres.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton confirmed that one of the four refugees transferred to Cambodia under the $55 million pact has now returned to Myanmar.

Read the Kaldor Centre’s weekly news roundup.

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 - 31 August 2015

The Senate inquiry examining abuse at the Nauru detention centre released its final report. The report’s recommendations include the removal of children from the Nauru detention centre as soon as possible (Recommendation 11); greater transparency and accountability mechanisms; and new laws on requiring reporting of sexual and violent allegations (Recommendation 15). The committee's findings were supported by Labor and the Greens, but opposed by government senators who put forward a dissenting report (Chapter 5).

On the same day as the Senate inquiry report was released, reports emerged that Transfield received a new five-year contract to provide expanded services on Nauru and Manus Island from November 2015. Transfield will replace Save the Children in providing welfare services in the offshore centres.

The Australian government's plan to resettle asylum seekers from Nauru to Cambodia is in doubt.  With four refugees resettled so far, Cambodian Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak stated ‘we don't have any plans to import more refugees from Nauru to Cambodia’.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) announced a joint operation with Victoria Police to conduct random visa checks in Melbourne's CBD.  Don Smith, Victorian and Tasmanian commander of ABF, said "ABF officers will be positioned at various locations around the CBD speaking with any individual we cross paths with".  The operation, codenamed "Operation Fortitude", received widespread public condemnation and, following protests in central Melbourne, was cancelled the same day it was announced. 

Opposition Leader, Bill Shorten, criticised the operation as "catastrophically silly", while Greens Senator, Sarah Hanson-Young, called for the powers of the ABF to be clarified.  Hugh de Kretser, executive director of the Human Rights Law Centre, argued that the incident reinforced concerns around the militarisation of immigration officials.  The government confirmed that the office of immigration minister Peter Dutton received a copy of the media release, while Prime Minister Toby Abbott stated that he had no prior knowledge of the operation.

On Nauru, the convictions of two asylum seekers jailed over riots at the detention centre on Nauru were overruled by the Nauruan Court of Appeal.  The court identified flaws in both the original trial and initial investigation, conducted by Wilson Security.

In Papua New Guinea, the supreme court intervened to halt the forced removal of asylum seekers to their countries of origin. Following the deportation of two Iranian detainees from the Manus Island detention facility, the court ordered an interim injunction to stop forcible removals.

Read the Kaldor Centre’s Weekly News Roundup.

Weekly media wrap - 24 August 2015

Inquiries into the Nauru detention centre dominated the week. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton continued to dismiss as “nonsense” allegations by an Australian whistleblower and ex-guard that a detainee at the Nauru detention centre was waterboarded, stating that he was ‘aware that there is legal action between Wilson and... a disgruntled employee and all these matters need to be put into context’.  

At a Senate committee hearing into allegations of abuse on Nauru, the whistleblower conceded that he had never seen the torture taking place. UNHCR regional representative Thomas Albrecht said that it was difficult to verify the claims because of the secrecy surrounding the centre's operations.

The Wilson Security guard who ordered up to eight guards at the Nauru detention center to spy on Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young while she was visiting the island has been called to appear before the Senate inquiry.

An asylum seeker allegedly raped at the Nauru detention centre was sent to Australia for treatment, three months after the alleged incident. Separately, an investigation undertaken by The Saturday Paper revealed a number of unreported incidents on Nauru, including the alleged rape and assault of refugees who have been resettled on the island.

On Manus Island, an asylum seeker on was forcibly returned to Iran notwithstanding an ongoing case challenging his detention in the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court.

A New Zealand parliamentary committee called for an increase to the country's refugee intake. New Zealand's current quota is 750 refugees per year, accepted through the UNHCR resettlement program.

Meanwhile, the UNHCR reported that the number of refugees and migrants who arrived in Greece last month was greater than the number for the whole of 2014. The influx has led to a stalemate at the Greek-Macedonian border, where over 2000 refugees are stranded after being stopped by police.

Read the Kaldor Centre's Weekly News Roundup.