Weekly media wrap - 4 May

Four refugees are the first to accept the Australian government’s Cambodian resettlement offer. The ‘Cambodia deal’ continues to face criticism from human rights groups because of the ‘poor quality’ of the country’s medical and health services, and the risks of crime.

An annual poll on attitudes towards national identity, conducted by the Australian National University, found that 65% of Australians support stronger measures to exclude 'illegal immigrants'.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee found that Australia was in breach of the international convention on civil and political rights (ICCPR) after deporting an Iranian citizen on undisclosed national security grounds.

The Lowy Institute for International Policy released a research paper arguing that the 1951 Refugee Convention needs to be reinterpreted, with Australia well-placed to lead the effort. The report stated that 'reform should include greater accountability for those states that cause displacement', arguing that governments currently place too much emphasis on symptoms, rather than causes.

Nauruan opposition MP Mathew Batsiua reported that access to Facebook and other social media sites had been blocked in Nauru 'under the guise of a crackdown on online pornography'. Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul commented that for many asylum seekers and refugees on the island, Facebook is their primary connection to family and community. The Nauruan government denied actively blocking access to Facebook, but acknowledged that some social media sites may have been shut down as an indirect result of the pornography ban.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime released a report on migrant smuggling in Asia. Warning of a significant threat to the region, the report found that criminal smuggling groups generate $2 billion annually, and lead to an increasing number of deaths and human rights abuses.

Following the death of 800 asylum seekers in the Mediterranean, the United Kingdom withdrew support for future search and rescue operations, arguing that such operations encourage 'more migrants to attempt the dangerous sea crossing… leading to more tragic and unnecessary deaths'.

Weekly media wrap 27 April

Following the death of 800 asylum seekers in the Mediterranean last week, reports surfaced of a ship sent to rescue the asylum seekers accidentally rammed the ship rather than pulling up along side it. Prime Minister Tony Abbott suggested the EU should 'urgently' follow Australia’s turn back policy to avoid future disasters. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said that Australia is 'happy to share experiences and information', but pointed out that tactics employed as part of Operation Sovereign Borders might not be effective in the Mediterranean.  

While the government did not comment on ‘on water matters’, the ABC has confirmed that HMAS Choules completed its mission to return a group of 46 asylum seekers to Vietnam as part of a bilateral agreement.

The government began assessing over 30,000 asylum claims under new migration laws the Refugee Council of Australia say are inconsistent with international law.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton described statements from Senator Hanson-Young that he is 'torturing' a five year old girl recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder,  as 'repugnant'.

A human rights lawyer said three Australian born children could be in danger of becoming stateless when they are deported to Malaysia.

The UNHCR has dissociated itself from the Australian government’s plans to send asylum seekers currently on Nauru to Cambodia.

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 - 13 April

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop will seek to persuade Iran to take back hundreds of failed asylum seekers held in Australian immigration detention when she visits Tehran next week. So far, Iran has refused to do so. Labor leader Bill Shorten said he will support the move, as long as Australia meets its obligations under international law. The Refugee Action Collective said Bishop was ‘playing with people’s lives’ by sending them back to Iran, where they may face persecution.

The Government announced it will make a telemovie designed to deter asylum seekers from coming to Australia by boat. The ABC’s Lateline reported that the drama is due to be broadcast later this year in countries like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. A spokesperson from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection said the ‘telemovie will realistically portray the journeys of people… and the challenges they face’. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the movie was part of an intensive effort by the Federal Government to end the people smuggling trade. Critics have opposed the drama, objecting to its cost and saying it would be unlikely to deter people from fleeing.

In Nauru, an asylum seeker who reported being sexually assaulted as part of the Moss Review says those who have made allegations of assaults have faced threats of harm from the perpetrators.

Transfield Services told their staff on Manus Island and Nauru detention centres that they can be fired for interacting with asylum seekers on social media, or being affiliated with a political, advocacy or religious groups opposed to Australia’s refugee policy.

On the mainland, an Iranian asylum seeker who has been on hunger strike for 44 days in Perth has begun accepting fluids.

Weekly media wrap - 6 April

Tens of thousands of people marched in capital cities across on Australia on Palm Sunday to protest Australia’s asylum seeker policies and treatment of asylum seekers. The rally in Melbourne drew an estimated 15,000 people.

Immigration detention centres across Australia are on heightened alert in response to a rise in self-harm incidents. Up to eight detainees at Darwin’s Wickham Point immigration detention centre self-harmed in the past two weeks, while an Iranian asylum is reported to be in a critical condition at the Royal Perth hospital after refusing food for 38 days in protest against the rejection of his claim for asylum.

Immigration minister Peter Dutton announced that Major General Andrew Bottrell has been appointed to head Operation Sovereign Borders. Minister Dutton and Major General Bottrell visited the Manus Island detention centre on Monday.

Fawad Ahmed, a Pakistani-born legspinner became the first asylum seeker to be named in the Australian test cricket squad.

Weekly media wrap - 30 March

Discussion surrounding the Moss Review into conditions at the Regional Processing Centre on Nauru continued. Among other things, leaked interview transcripts showed evidence used to remove 10 Save the Children staff from Nauru was not conclusive.

New laws passed the Senate under which asylum seekers will have to prove their identity to secure protection visas.

International aid agencies in Cambodia refused to participate in the Government’s planned deal to provide $40 million in development aid in exchange for a refugee resettlement deal. It came as the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding to guide resettlement of refugees in Cambodia.

Fifteen asylum seekers – including nine with UNHCR letters stating their refugee status – said they spent three days on Christmas Island before being told to sail back to Indonesia on their fishing boats by Australian authorities.

The winning design for Immigration Place in Canberra was announced – an undulating public artwork reminiscent of waves on the ocean.

Weekly media wrap - 23 March

The Moss Review, established in October 2014 by the then Immigration Minister Scott Morrison, was released on Friday. The review, by former Integrity Commissioner Philip Moss, investigated two separate claims relating to the Regional Processing Centre in Nauru. The review heard evidence of rape and sexual assault, finding that many detainees on Nauru were concerned about their safety and privacy in the centre. The review also found no evidence to substantiate the allegations that Save the Children employees had encouraged protests or acts of self-harm.

The Moss Review published 19 recommendations, including a review of the dismissal of the Save the Children employees. The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton stated that the department had accepted and responded to all 19 recommendations. Save the Children CEO, Paul Ronalds, responded by agreeing to work with the government on a review of the dismissal.  He also called on the government to immediately end its practice of mandatory and prolonged detention.  Prime Minister Tony Abbott was criticised for his response to the Moss Review, following an interview on talkback radio station 2GB.

Former Nauru Chief Justice Geoffrey Eames criticised the Nauruan government, expressing concern about the health and safety of asylum seekers and refugees on the island  

Refugees who have been settled on Nauru spoke out about their lives on the island.  In a series of covert interviews, the refugees, who have been settled on five year visas, reported mental health problems and sexual and physical violence.

 The Italian home affairs ministry released a planning paper, suggesting that Egyptian and Tunisian naval units play a role in rescuing asylum boats off the coast of Libya.  According to this plan, Egyptian and Tunisian operations should be supported, technically and financially, by the European Union.  

Weekly media wrap - 16 March

A report released by the UN Special Rapporteur, Juan Mendez, has found Australia was violating the international Convention Against Torture by detaining children in immigration detention. Prime Minister Tony Abbott accused the UN Human Rights Council of blind acceptance of the Special Rapporteur’s findings, and of insufficient consultation with the Australian Government.

In response to Australia’s representations on behalf of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukamaran, Indonesia has threatened to reduce its efforts to prevent asylum seekers leaving for Australia. Meanwhile, new research claims that Australia’s asylum policy is damaging its relationship with Indonesia and other transit countries. Five wooden boats recently purchased by the Australian government (to replace existing ‘orange lifeboats’) has raised new legal challenges to the forcible return policy.

The forced transfer of a Tamil asylum seeker from Melbourne to Darwin was stopped as a result of passengers’ protests. Three men have been charged with assault on an asylum seeker at Yongah Hill, WA, a facility housing a mix of asylum seekers and convicted criminals.

Thousands of unopened letters intended for offshore asylum seekers, containing self-address stamped envelopes and writing paper were returned to Julian Burnside.

The UN wrote to the EU asking it to increase its search and rescue activities in the Mediterranean Sea, in part to replace the Italian Mare Nostrum operation

A website – Generation in Crisis – was launched to raise the profile of the plight of young Syrian asylum seekers in Jordanian refugee camps.

Weekly media wrap - 9 March

Media reported that ten wooden boats were bought by the Customs and Border Protection Department to tow back asylum seeker boats in Australian waters. The boats, which look like fishing boats typically used in South Asia, are believed to be a cheaper alternative to the orange lifeboat vessels that the Australian government has been using.

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has requested the Australian Federal Police investigate Save the Children whistleblowers who provided anonymous submissions to the Australian Human Rights Commission inquiry into children in detention, which referenced child sexual abuse, violence and self-harm on Nauru. A Greens-led motion was passed in the Senate expressing support for Professor Gillian Triggs and the Human Rights Commission and its delivery of the Forgotten Children report.

Almost 200 refugees were arrested on Nauru for protesting against their resettlement on the island and demanding better living conditions. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton stated that refugees' protests would have no influence on the Abbott government's policies. Nauru’s Justice Minister, David Adeang, described the protests as a ‘law and order issue’ that would be dealt with according to Nauru’s laws.

A student staged a protest on a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Darwin over the transfer of a Tamil asylum seeker on board, fearing deportation would occur once the plane arrived in Darwin. The student has been temporarily banned from the airline and asked to attend an interview with the Australian Federal Police.  

In a speech to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama criticised Australia's policy approach of resettling asylum seekers in the Pacific and sought greater scrutiny of the implementation of policy and practice. 

Weekly media wrap - 2 March

The Abbott Government continues to defend its criticism of Professor Gillian Triggs. Described by some as an 'attack', the Government accused Triggs, the President of the Human Rights Commission which produced The Forgotten Children report into children in detention, of harbouring political bias due to the timing of the report. The advocacy group Grandmothers Against Detention of Refugee Children rallied in Melbourne in support of Professor Triggs.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton confirmed that the Bladin Alternative Place of Detention in Darwin will close in April 2015. The Coalition Government has attributed the closure to its ability to stop the arrival of asylum seeker carrying boats and the success of Operation Sovereign Borders.

According to reports in The Guardian, the trial of the two men accused of murdering asylum seeker Reza Barati in a riot on Manus Island on 17 February 2014 will soon begin. Asylum seekers on Manus Island have been asked to give evidence and are reportedly nervous about their safety if they testify.

Amnesty International has called on Australia to do more to help the millions of refugees fleeing violence in Syria and Afghanistan, including increasing Australia’s humanitarian intake. Amnesty also released its annual report in which it condemned the Australian Government for its offshore processing policies and the continuing detention.

 Meanwhile, the Obama administration is pushing to increase the number of Syrian refugees settled in the United States, but is facing resistance from Republicans concerned about security screening of refugees.

Weekly media wrap - 23 February

The Federal Government announced that four Sri Lankan asylum seekers were handed over to Sri Lankan authorities earlier this month. The men were determined not to be refugees after their boat was intercepted off the coast of the Cocos Islands. This interception is the first occurrence of on-water processing and transfer since the High Court ruled in January that offshore operations such as this are legal. Critics expressed concern about interceptions at sea and the quality of screening processes being undertaken when on water.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton visited Nauru to reaffirm the Australian Government’s bilateral agreement with the island nation to resettle Australian-bound refugees. Formal visit proceedings were disrupted by refugees protesting Australian asylum policy. Minister Dutton announced an open centre arrangement where selected asylum seekers would have more flexibility in coming and going from the Nauru detention centre within agreed times. Minister Dutton confirmed that 512 asylum seekers have been granted refugee status and 400 had been resettled in Nauru.

The anniversary of the death of Iranian Reza Barati was acknowledged and remembered on social media by thousands. Barati was killed one year ago on Manus Island during the rioting in the immigration detention centre.

An open letter to the Prime Minister Tony Abbott, signed by 50 prominent Australians, expressed support for the Human Rights Commission’s Forgotten Children report and concern about the personal attacks on the Commission's President Gillian Triggs.

More than 2,100 migrants were rescued 160kms off the coast of Italian island Lampedusa by Italian and Maltese rescue vessels. 

Weekly media wrap - 16 February

The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) called for a Royal Commission into the policy of holding children in immigration detention, following the government’s release of its The Forgotten Children: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention report. The report found more than a third of children in detention in the first half of 2014 had serious mental health disorders. It found more than 300 children committed or threatened self-harm in a 15-month period, 30 reported sexual assault, nearly 30 went on hunger strike and more than 200 were involved in assaults.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott criticised the report as ‘a blatantly partisan politicised exercise’, questioning ‘where was the Human Rights commission when hundreds of people were drowning at sea?’ Professor Triggs said she made the decision to hold the inquiry last February because the release of children had slowed down over the first six months of the new Coalition Government.  

The government announced there would not be a Royal Commission into children in detention.

 More than 200 Australian organisations (including Asylum Insight) signed a letter calling on parliament to stop holding children in immigration detention.

Meanwhile, it emerged through Fairfax media that the government had sought the resignation of AHRC president, Professor Gillian Triggs.

The High Court ordered that the Immigration Minister grant a permanent protection visa to a Pakistani refugee. It unanimously found the decision by former Immigration Minister Scott Morrison not to grant the visa on national interest grounds because the man was an unauthorised maritime arrival was illegal.

Around 300 people were feared drowned after four people-smuggling boats sank in the Mediterranean. Twenty-nine people died of hypothermia aboard Italian coastguard vessels after being picked up from a boat adrift near Libya. 

Weekly media wrap - 9 February

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres responded to the High Court’s judgment of the Tamil asylum seeker known as  ‘CPCF’, decided on 28 January 2015.  Despite the judgement that Australian authorities acted lawfully according to Australian law, UNHCR urged Australia to recognise its international legal obligations.

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser criticised the government for its attacks on the Australian Human Rights Commission in the lead up to the 2014 release of the Commission's report from the Inquiry into Children in Detention.

Senate Estimate documents showed that during the last financial year the Federal Government spent over $1.2 billion on the operation of detention centres on Manus Island, Nauru and Christmas Island.

Human rights lawyer Julian Burnside QC announced that he will represent an Iranian asylum seeker in an appeal after his application for refugee status was rejected.  The 33 year old detainee of Wickham Point detention centre has been on a hunger strike since his appeal was rejected late last year.

In international news, Guterres urged the European Union to grant asylum to more refugees, with 50 million people currently displaced globally, creating the largest refugee crisis worldwide since World War II.

Weekly media wrap – 1 February

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton announced that a total of 15 boats containing 429 asylum seekers have been turned back since the commencement of Operation Sovereign Borders.

A group of eight former Australians of the Year used Australia Day celebrations to call for the immediate release of all refugee and asylum seeker children from immigration detention. On the same day, further arrests were made in detention compounds on Manus Island as protests continued.

The High Court handed down a judgment that Australian authorities acted legally when they intercepted a boat from India carrying 157 Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers in June 2014. The asylum seekers were detained on an Australian customs vessel for 29 days until they were brought to the Australian mainland and then transferred to Nauru. The Court found that Australian authorities had acted within the bounds of the Maritime Powers Act.

Minister Dutton said that the ruling ‘has vindicated the Government's position’. However, others have written that the decision raises concerns about the rights of asylum seekers who are detained at sea.

In international news, Kuwaiti philanthropist Shaikha Rima Al Sabah has been appointed as the UNHCR’s newest Goodwill Ambassador, while Angelina Jolie, special envoy for the UNHCR, appealed for urgent funding to assist more than 3 million displaced Iraqis and Syrians living in northern Iraq.

Weekly media wrap - 26 January

Unrest on Manus Island ended last Tuesday. Staff at the centre reportedly prepared 14 men, who were thought to be leaders of the protest, to be sent to prison in Port Moresby. Australian and Papua New Guinean officials described the force used against protestors as minimal, although a video obtained by The Guardian suggests otherwise. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has rejected claims asylum seekers were denied food and water

Australia’s resettlement program in Cambodia is uncertain, as all but three of 200 refugees on Nauru refused to meet with Cambodian officials. Mr Dutton will travel to Cambodia to meet with officials for further talks on the resettlement program.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten criticised the culture of secrecy regarding the government’s release of information surrounding Manus Island. NSW Premier Mike Baird called on Prime Minister Abbott to “do more” to help refugees.

The UNHCR has announced plans to settle a number of Rohingya refugees in Thailand to the United States.

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 wrap - 11 January 2015

The group of 50 men on Manus Island with approved refugee applications are being prepared to move from detention to temporary accommodation at the Lorengau transit centre and then into the PNG community. They were told they would be treated like the local Papua New Guineans, but detainees are resisting this move for fear of violence from locals.

An Iranian asylum seeker who went without food for 51 days in the Wickham Point Immigration Detention Centre in Northern Territory during late 2014 has resumed his hunger strike. 

A teenage boy who was crew on an asylum seeker boat that arrived nearly two years ago will return home to Indonesia next week. He and another teenage boy have been kept in detention since their arrival, despite a government policy not to prosecute Indonesian children found on the boats. The second boy has also been released on parole and put in immigration detention.

Figures provided to Fairfax Media indicate that ten refugees have been released into the community since August 2014, after ASIO reversed their decisions that the refugees were threats to national security.

Prime Minister Abbott congratulated the new Sri Lankan president-elect Maithripala Sirisena and emphasised the two countries’ cooperation on addressing people smuggling and other issues.

Lebanon turned back Syrians attempting to cross the border under new visa regulations, which limit the amount of time they can stay in Lebanon. Lebanon is concerned about its capacity to accommodate more people displaced by the Syrian civil war.

UNHCR released its Mid-Year Trends 2014 report, which indicate that an estimated 5.5 million people became newly displaced during the first half of 2014. Of these, 1.4 million fled across international borders, with the remaining displaced within their own countries. Syrians have become the largest refugee population under UNHCR's mandate.

Weekly media wrap - 5 January

Former Immigration Minister Scott Morrison threatened to revoke Moreland Council’s right to hold an Australia Day citizenship ceremony if Mayor Megan Hopper refused to read an official Ministerial message. The message is normally delivered at citizenship ceremonies, however it isn’t compulsory. Ms Hopper said the Federal Government’s asylum seeker policies conflicted with the council’s policy. In response, Wollongong Mayor Gordon Bradbery said the letter was ‘fairly innocuous’ and ‘full of motherhood statements’.

The Guardian reported that refugees released from detention on Nauru have pleaded to be allowed back into detention centres due to fears of violence and harassment from locals.

In her New Year address German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a more welcoming attitude to refugees amid concern at the rise of anti-Islamic groups in the country. The first refugees moved into so-called ‘container towns’ in Berlin – emergency housing built from stackable, portable blocks.

Weekly media wrap - 29 December

Scott Morrison was replaced as Minister for Immigration and Border Protection by Peter Dutton. The move has been interpreted as a promotion for Mr Morrison (who will become Minister for Social Services) and a demotion for Mr Dutton, who has performed poorly in the Health portfolio. Prominent asylum advocate Julian Burnside has criticised Morrison’s time as Minister “a terrible stain on our [Australia’s] history”. Mr Dutton’s initial comments suggest his early focus will be on deporting visa over-stayers.

Burnside also condemned the recent passage of the Asylum Legacy Act, highlighting the lack of legal recourse for asylum seekers who are initially assessed not to be genuine refugees. The Act also creates a new a class of visa – the Safe Haven Enterprise Visa, and establishes the Immigration Assessment Authority.

The remaining asylum seeker children held on Christmas Island have been returned to the mainland while they wait for their claims to be assessed.

An Iranian asylum seeker has ended a hunger strike after not eating for 53 days. Earlier this year the man was found not to be a genuine refugee by the Refugee Review Tribunal. Another Iranian asylum seeker, who’s asylum claim is yet to be processed, will sue the Australian Government for negligence, alleging he was intentionally denied medical treatment for severe burns.

Weekly media wrap - 22 December 2014

Immigration and Border Protection Minister Scott Morrison announced that 31 babies born to asylum seekers who were transferred from Nauru to Australia before December 4 will be allowed to stay in Australia, along with their parents and siblings, while their protection claims are assessed in Australia. More than 20 expecting asylum seeker women, who are currently in Darwin, will not be eligible to access this arrangement and will be required to return to Nauru with their babies once born. This one-off arrangement came as a result of a deal made with Senator Rick Muir, whose vote recently secured the passing of new migration laws through the Senate.

The immigration department has been accused of actively delaying visa grants to an 84-year-old Iraqi refugee and her daughter until the new temporary protection visa laws come into force. The two women were both found to be refugees by the Refugee Review Tribunal, but are considering returning home to Iraq as the TPV does not allow a person to sponsor their family. The daughter has a young child who is still overseas with her father. 

An Iranian asylum seeker entered his 49th day of a hunger strike at Wickham Point Immigration Detention Centre in Darwin, after being denied refugee status by the Refugee Review Tribunal earlier this year. Reports indicate this man’s health condition is deteriorating, which has sparked legal and medical debate on whether the Department of Immigration and Border Protection can force feed this asylum seeker. 

Papua New Guinea approved 50 refugee applications from Manus Island, but has not yet resettled anyone. PNG Foreign Minister said that the men will be resettled in PNG but that has been delayed by the lack of a policy framework.