Weekly media round-up No. 8

The New York Times reports that more than two million people have spread across the Middle East and Europe as a result of the civil war in Syria, while 4.25 million people have been displaced internally. France has agreed to accept 500 Syrian refugees, in spite of opposition from the far-right National Front Party.

Ian Rintoul, of the Refugee Action Coalition, claims that sending seven West Papuans (including a 10 year old child) back to PNG is a violation of a 2003 Memorandum of Understanding between the Australian and PNG governments. The group fears for their safety, as they will be held in close proximity to the Indonesian border.

The UNHCR has confirmed that a second pregnant woman is being held in detention in Nauru. Advocates have expressed concern over the level of available medical care.

A boat believed to be carrying 60 asylum seekers has arrived at Christmas Island. Christmas Island administrator and Former ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope has called on Bill Shorten to denounce the asylum policy that the ALP took to the recent election.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has indicated he will not be discussing incidents of self-harm for fear of ‘endorsing [or]… encouraging that behaviour’.

While Mr Morrison has stated that the increased Indonesian police activity, and increased funding for the Australian Federal Police activities in Indonesia has resulted in arrests of ‘high value targets’, former immigration minister Tony Burke insists this a continuation of a trend observed prior to the change of government.

The High Court earlier this week dismissed an appeal by an Indonesian man against his five-year mandatory sentence for people smuggling offences.

Weekly media round-up No. 7

Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison made his first visit to Nauru, where he inspected the detention processing facility. Under Operation Sovereign Borders, pregnant women seeking asylum will give birth on the island. Mr. Morrison claimed that crime rates associated with asylum seekers in the community are rising, a factor that has led to ten people being stripped of bridging visas since the federal election.

Reports suggest people smuggling operations have reduced in activity due to the Coalition’s hardline immigration policy, which Mr. Morrison states will not change amid speculation after Tony Abbott’s visit to Indonesia. In Jakarta, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib  Razak affirmed his commitment to assist Australia to tackle asylum seeker issues.

The European Commission has called for the support of a proposed Mediterranean-wide patrol operation  in a bid to prevent refugee deaths at sea.

Liberal Democrats Senator-elect David Leyonhjelm predicts that Prime Minister Abbott’s immigration policy will fail and has recommended an approach that would see asylum seekers charged $50,000 for permanent residency in Australia.

Former Howard government immigration minister Amanda Vanstone claims asylum seekers are targeting the media to gain sympathy, and hence, entry into Australia.

Weekly media round-up No. 6

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres says his agency is being 'stretched to the limits' by the current combination of crises generating refugees.

Syria's neighbours have called for greater international assistance in helping them cope with the more than two million people who have fled Syria since 2011. The World Bank  estimated that Lebanon is now hosting around a million Syrian refugees, an amount equivalent to 22 per cent of the population. At a crisis meeting in Geneva, 17 countries, including Australia, agreed to establish special quotas to settle over 10,000 Syrian refugees. While noting that Australia was 'going to do its bit in terms of what is going on in Syria', Immigration Minister Scott Morrison warned that there would not be 'any sympathy for anyone who comes on a boat and seeks to come in claiming to be affected by the Syrian conflict'.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott apologised to Indonesia for previous governments putting 'sugar on the table' for people smugglers. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said both countries were 'victims' of people smugglers. A marked change in language from Mr Abbott has led some to question whether he is walking away from his pledge to turn back to Indonesia boats of asylum seekers.

Mr Abbott has also indicated that Australia may not proceed with an arrangement agreed to in February for New Zealand to resettle 150 refugees processed in Australia each year. The agreement has strong public support in New Zealand.

The New Zealand High Court will hear the case of a Kiribati man seeking asylum on the basis that rising sea levels make it unsafe for him and his family to return home.

Mr Morrison has rejected claims that Australian authorities failed to respond adequately to distress calls from a boat carrying 80 asylum seekers that sank off the coast of Indonesia. Around 50 people are confirmed dead or missing. Greens' leader Christine Milne called for an inquiry. Fairfax Media estimates more than 1500 asylum seekers have now died trying to reach Australia by boat.

Australian authorities have transferred a group of seven West Papuan asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea.

Weekly media round-up No. 5

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison held an inaugural briefing on Operation Sovereign Borders. The government was criticised by the opposition for its decision to contain asylum boat arrival announcements to these briefings.

Ahead of Prime Minister Abbott's visit to Indonesia scheduled for 30 September, Foreign Minister Dr Marty Natalegawa said the Australian Government’s boat turn back policy could jeopardise bilateral relations.  Former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer disagreed, calling for a solution to asylum seekers arriving by boat.

Domestically, refugee advocates sought to prevent the transport of a mentally ill boy to Nauru or Manus Island. 

Weekly media round-up No. 4

The government’s asylum policy, Operation Sovereign Borders, began on Wednesday and is headed by a three-star general. Prime Minister Abbott has promised the policy of boat buy-backs and towbacks will make a difference from day one.

Ahead of Prime Minister Abbot’s visit to Indonesia, MP Tantowi Yahya has labelled the Coalition’s asylum seeker policy offensive and illegal.  Research shows Indonesia is prosecuting more people smugglers, but most convicted are crew members rather than organisers. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has said Australia seeks understanding not permission from Indonesia.

Companies running detention centres in Australia and offshore have failed to report on the safety and care of people in detention, dating back several years. Lawyer Julian Burnside has proposed the Tasmania Solution, assigning the island as a place of detention.

Weekly media round-up No. 3

With an asylum seeker boat carrying 88 people arriving hours in the wake of last weekend’s election victory, Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott is going about shaping the architecture of the Coalition government’s hardline asylum policy, Operation Sovereign Borders.

Two reporters arrived on Christmas Island after three days at sea on an asylum seeker boat. After speaking with the Australian Federal Police, the pair were processed and free to go. In closed detention, a group of Vietnamese asylum seekers staged a 24-hour hunger strike.

ASIO is reviewing the adverse security assessments of four refugees held in indefinite detention on the advice of independent reviewer Margaret Stone. Outgoing Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus urged the Coalition to reconsider its election promise to abolish the review.

Internationally, Tony Abbott began talks with the Papua New Guinea government, hoping to maintain the arrangements that the Labor government put in place. Indonesia foreign minister Marty Natalegawa rejected the Coalition’s asylum policies ahead of Mr Abbott’s visit to Jakarta.

Weekly media round-up No. 2

The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has released a summary to help you understand where the parties contesting Saturday’s federal election stand on refugee issues.

The Coalition announced that it would no longer be funding legal appeals by refugees as part of its regional deterrence framework this week. In a last-minute announcement before the federal election tomorrow, Shadow Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the move will save taxpayers $100 million dollars over four years.

Scott Morrison has urged for the police to be notified before asylum seekers are released from detention into the community. Liberal candidate for the seat of Lindsay, Fiona Scott, has linked asylum seekers to traffic jams and hospital queues.

The Greens have noted an increase in party support as a result of voters being alienated by the stances of the major parties on asylum issues.

After the attempted suicide of a Somali teenager on Christmas Island, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship has denied access to the Somali community endeavouring to provide the boy with support.

As a response to the long and violent conflict in Syria, Sweden has announced that it will grant asylum to all Syrian refugees who apply. Tobias Billstroem, Sweden's Migration Minister has called for other countries to acknowledge the plight of the Syrian people.

Weekly media round-up No. 1

Tensions between the Australian and PNG governments are increasing, as  disagreements on the implementation of the Rudd government’s PNG solution continue to grow.

Less than a week–and-a-half out from the federal election, absence of questions on asylum issues was notable in the leaders’ debate on Wednesday night, as Scott Morrison released additional details on the Coalition’s regional deterrence model a few days prior.

Clive Palmer’s claim that asylum seekers receive more financial support from the government than old age pensioners has been shown to be false. A UN Human Rights Committee review has criticised the government’s indefinite detention of 46 refugees that have received negative ASIO assessments. While Australia is not bound by findings the review, the legal framework under which asylum seekers are managed will be tested in three different cases in the High Court next week.