Weekly media wrap - 31 August 2019

A 36-year-old Pakistani refugee on Nauru was hospitalised after setting himself on fire. The act of self-harm came amidst continued debate about the government’s proposed bill to repeal the medevac laws, reviewed by a Senate committee this week, as well as accusations from Medicines Sans Frontiers that Nauru has breached medical ethics.

Fifty-three asylum seekers being held at a detention facility annexed to the Bomana prison complex in Port Moresby are being restricted from talking to doctors and lawyers. A Senate inquiry heard that without access to phones, the asylum seekers are unable to be evacuated to Australia under the medevac legislation.

The Labor party claimed that the government has lost control of Australia’s borders. Labor’s home affairs spokeswoman, Kristina Keneally, argued that over 90% of the 81,596 asylum seekers who arrived by plane in the last five years were found not to be refugees. The argument came as Senator Kim Carr indicated Labor’s opposition to a Coalition bill to prevent asylum seekers who arrived by boat ever settling in Australia.

A report from Deloitte Access Economics found that increasing Australia’s annual refugee intake to 44,000 by 2023 would bring an extra $37.7 billion to the economy in the next 50 years. Commissioned by Oxfam Australia, the report called for the federal government to commit to the increase, and to create a visa stream for 10,000 humanitarian family reunifications annually.

Weekly media wrap - 22 August 2019

Dozens of asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea were moved to a detention facility annexed to the Bomana prison complex in Port Moresby. The men moved have all been deemed non-refugees. A letter from the PNG immigration and citizenship authority ordered the men to surrender their mobile phone, any medication, and to pack up their personal belongings. 

Kurdish Iranian writer Behrouz Boochani won the $25,000 National Biography award this week for his autobiography No Friend But The Mountains. Mr Boochani remains in detention on Manus Island. 

Protests were held outside the Department of Home Affairs in Sydney this week against the continued use of temporary visas for people found to be refugees and afforded protection. Temporary protection visas remain a key component of the Australian Government’s border protection policy. The bridging and temporary visas have been widely criticised for the damaging effects they have on their holders.

Australians have raised more than $100,000 to privately sponsor and relocate refugees on Manus Island and Nauru to Canada, as part of new project Operation Not Forgotten, launched this week. This project was launched by Syrian refugee, Hassan Al Konta.

Weekly media wrap - 10 August 2019

Refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island commenced court proceedings in Papua New Guinea arguing that even though the detention centre was closed, their inability to leave Manus Island constitutes indefinite detention and, therefore, a breach of the constitution. They are seeking travel documents to enable them to leave PNG and are hopeful that the PNG Government may step in to resolve their situation rather than having to continue the court action. 

A mural at Bondi beach which shows 24 Australian Border Force guards under the heading ‘not welcome to Bondi’ was defaced shortly after a motion to Council for its removal was defeated. The artist, Luke Cornish, was asked to do the work as part of an exhibition and described the vandalism as a criminal act. He explained that the border force guards represented the 24 asylum seekers who have suicided in Australian-run detention facilities since 2010. The Council noted that the artwork is temporary and would be replaced following the conclusion of the exhibition.   

The federal government reintroduced legislation to Parliament whereby a person would have their visa automatically cancelled if they are convicted of a crime that carries a two-year sentence, regardless of whether or not the jail time is actually imposed. The current law limits the automatic visa cancellation to people who have been sentenced to at least 12 months in prison. The Minister for Immigration, David Coleman, justified the proposed law on the basis that foreign criminals do not deserve to remain in Australia. Refugee lawyers have expressed concern that there is no provision in the proposed legislation to exempt people who have been granted protection. 

A Syrian refugee who was resettled in Canada after spending months stuck in an airport terminal launched a crowdfunding campaign that aims to sponsor the resettlement of up to 200 refugees on Nauru and Manus Island in Canada. He was prompted to launch the campaign by the recent increase in the number of suicide attempts by people in offshore facilities. He is working with Canadian charities and the Refugee Council of Australia with the aim of raising a total of $3.7 million. 

Gillian Triggs was appointed as United Nations Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, replacing Volker Türk, who held the role for 4 years.  

Weekly media wrap - 4 August 2019

Freedom of information documents revealed that Australian authorities are not properly tracking the numbers of people seeking asylum at Australian airports and therefore the number of people claiming protection at Australia’s borders over the past years is unknown. This revelation also raises questions about the proper process for further assessment that should be triggered if a person is claiming protection. 

The Australian Federal Police halted an investigation into the controversial leaking of classified information regarding the medevac legislation. The claimed reasoning behind this decision was that the number of potential suspects was too large. However, it is understood that a total of only 11 senior departmental officials and ministers had access to the documents prior to its leaking to the media. 

A mural at Sydney’s Bondi Beach depicting a line of 24 Australian Border Force officers along with the phrase ‘not… welcome to Bondi’ received a mixed response. The Artist, Luke Cornish, made the piece to raise awareness of the treatment of asylum seekers in Australia’s onshore and offshore detention facilities, stating that ‘the 24 officers is symbolic of the 24 suicides in Australian detention facilities since 2010’. 

Over 1000 people rallied in front of Parliament House in Canberra, calling on the government to end temporary protection visas. The protestors, many of whom held temporary visas, spoke out against the processing limbo and strict conditions they have endured, in particular the harsh travel restrictions and denial of family reunification. 

Weekly media wrap - 2 August 2019

Australia’s House of Representatives voted in favour of the government’s bid to repeal the Medevac legislation. The decision came after days of parliamentary debate, as well as the release of a report highlighting the scale of mental health problems on Manus Island and Nauru. The report, from the independent health advice panel overseeing medical transfers for asylum seekers being held offshore, found that the majority of medical admissions were for mental health conditions. The government’s bid to repeal the medevac transfer laws will now proceed to the Senate. 

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister, James Marape, conducted his first official visit to Australia. In discussions with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, an agreement was reached to establish a timeline for the full closure of immigration detention facilities on Manus Island, though no specific dates were agreed to. Speaking as part of the delegation from PNG, Charlie Benjamin, governor of Manus Island, argued that the need to resettle refugees currently on the island was urgent, stating that PNG was ready to assist Australia if it accepted New Zealand’s renewed offer to resettle up to 150 refugees. 

Scott Morrison rejected the offer from New Zealand, arguing that it would weaken border security, while Liberal backbencher Russell Broadbent stated that he would like to see his party pursuing the offer, declaring that Australia could not continue with indefinite detention. 

Weekly media wrap - 25 July 2019

A new report published this week by the Australian Human Rights Commission, Lives On Hold, calls for action over 30,000 asylum seekers in the so-called ‘Legacy Caseload’ – those living in Australia and who arrived by boat before January 2014. The report highlights that 7500 asylum seekers who have been in Australia for more than five years have not yet had their refugee claims assessed. The Commission raised significant concern about the impact of these prolonged delays on the mental health of this group., and the limited support available to meet their health and other needs. The Department of Home Affairs has rejected the Commission’s recommendations. 

The Australian Government took four days to inform the family of Abdul Aziz of his death. Mr Aziz, an Afghan asylum seeker, died in the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation facility (MITA) last week. The man's family learned of his death through word of mouth. Authorities have not yet been able to identify a cause of death. Two days after the death of Mr Aziz, an Afghan asylum seeker who is also detained in MITA was taken to hospital after attempting to set himself on fire. The 23-year-old allegedly set a towel alight in his room before another detainee intervened.

A 15-month-old baby has been transferred to hospital from MITA with Influenza A. The baby’s mother, Vietnamese asylum seeker Huyen Tran, complained to staff for several weeks that her child had a fever, which was reportedly ignored. 

On a six-day visit to Australia commencing this weekend, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape will be urging the Australian Government to fix a deadline for the ending of offshore processing of asylum seekers on Manus Island.

Greens Senator Nick McKim was denied entry to visit the East Lorengau camp on Manus Island and deported from Papua New Guinea this week. Senator McKim was visiting Manus Island to mark six years since the Rudd Governmentannounced that all asylum seekers who arrived by boat would be sent to PNG.

Weekly media wrap - 15 July 2019

A 23-year-old Afghan man died in the immigration detention centre in Melbourne on 13 July. The police reported that the circumstances of the death are not suspicious. Fellow detainees said that the man had signed for a bridging visa 5 months ago but it had not been forthcoming. The Department of Home Affairs issued a statement of condolence to his family.

A Federal Court judge issued the Department of Home Affairs with a five day deadline to transfer a refugee from Nauru to Australia. It came after a previous order to transfer the man was not complied with. The order included a directive that if the deadline is not met, the Department will be required to detail the steps it has taken to action the transfer and to name those who have prevented it. Reporters noted the directive’s significance in terms of requiring the Department to disclose information about processes and people.

A two-year-old child in immigration detention in Melbourne sustained a mild head injury when a whiteboard fell onto her. Media outlets reported a seven hour delay between the incident and her transfer to a hospital for treatment. The Department of Home Affairs reportedly confirmed the incident occurred, but stated that the child was not injured and that the family had refused offers of treatment. She was returned to the detention centre after an overnight stay in hospital. 

A further seven refugees on Nauru were confirmed for departure to the USA under the Australia-US resettlement deal. Radio NZ reported that the total number of people transferred under the deal now stands at 580 (out of the 1250 as per the agreement). 

Weekly media wrap - 8 July 2019

Legislation to repeal the medevac transfer laws was introduced to parliament by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, and will now proceed to a Senate inquiry with a report date of 18 October. The inquiry, led by the Senate’s Legal and Constitutional Legislative Committee, will give medevac supporters a public platform to argue for its retention.

The Guardian Australia reported that a number of refugees have been kept in a Brisbane hotel, in dirty rooms and under heavy guard, for up to six months. The Australian Human Rights Commission investigated the use of such alternative places of detention in May, resulting in a number of recommendations, including that hotels only be used ‘in exceptional circumstances and for very short periods of time’. The Australian Border Force defended its extended detention of refugees in the hotel as ‘appropriate’. 

The United Nations subcommittee on prevention of torture announced it would visit Australia and Nauru in the coming months to inspect places of detention. The UN Human Rights inspectors will have the right to visit any place of detention, unannounced, including all immigration detention facilities. Australia is obliged to allow these inspections after ratifying the optional protocol to the convention against torture (Opcat) in December 2017. 

Weekly media wrap - 1 July 2019

The Australian and Papuan New Guinean governments announced in a joint statement that there will be a limited extension but not a renewal of the $423 million contract for Security company Paladin, which provides services to asylum seekers on Manus Island. Prior to this announcement, PNG’s new Prime Minister James Marape stated that he did not want foreign security companies undertaking this work, which could be done by PNG companies. The limited extension of the Paladin contract will allow time while the PNG government seeks to procure a local provider. 

US President Donald Trump praised Australia’s asylum seeker policies, tough border protection measures and deterrent advertising campaign. On the day of the G20 Summit and a meeting between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the President, Trump tweeted that ‘much can be learned’ from Australian advertisements aimed to deter asylum seekers from using boats to come to Australia. 

The Coalition government increased rhetoric against the medevac legislation, with the aim of soon repealing it through parliament. Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton claimed that the new arrangements risk an increase of people smuggler boats and also encourage asylum seekers and refugees currently on Manus island and Nauru to reject offers to be resettled in the United States in hope that they will instead get to Australia. The government will require the support of four cross-benchers to repeal the legislation. 

Manus Island police stated that the asylum seeker who set himself on fire in his room last week at the Lorengau accommodation will be charged with attempted suicide and arson, with the latter carrying a sentence of life imprisonment. The man is badly injured with severe burns to his face and ear, and has reportedly been medically evacuated for treatment in Port Moresby.

Abdul Aziz Muhamat, a Sudanese refugee and former detainee on Manus Island, gave a speech before the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding the conditions for asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru. Muhamat described the situation as a humanitarian crisis requiring urgent action and urged the Council to hold the Australian government to account. Muhamat was offered asylum in Switzerland after he was permitted to travel from Manus Island to receive a human rights award.

Weekly media wrap - 24 June 2019

An asylum seeker set himself and his accommodation alight at Hillside Haus on Manus Island. The incident occurred following the man allegedly returning from the local medical centre where he sought treatment for back pain but was denied. The man is currently being treated at the Pacific International Hospital. This is the second case of self-immolation in two weeks. 

The minister for Home Affairs, Peter Dutton, told Sky News that pregnant asylum seekers on Nauru who were victims of rape and coming to Australia in need of abortion were ‘trying it on’ so they could remain in Australia. Minister Dutton claimed these women would change their mind upon arrival to Australia, and seek legal injunctions to stay. These remarks have been condemned by lawyers and asylum seeker advocates.  

The Morrison government is expected to appeal a recent federal court decision that tested the new ‘medevac’ law, ruling that doctors don’t have to speak to a patient in order to make a medical assessment. Two doctors assessed the medical records of a 29-year old Iraqi man without a face-to-face interview or physical examination, and determined the need for this man’s urgent medical evacuation. 

With the Australian parliament resuming on 2 July, the government is expected to seek to repeal the medevac law. Labor has maintained it will not support repealing this legislation, but has not ruled out supporting amendments. The government will need the votes of the crossbench in the Senate in order to repeal this law. The law has so far seen 30 people brought to Australia for care. 

The PNG immigration minister, Petrus Thomas, said his government expects to ‘cancel or terminate’ the controversial contract with Paladin to run refugee and asylum seeker accommodation on Manus Island. The contract expires in two weeks, and Minister Dutton indicated this week that this contract may be extended, contradicting the PNG’s position. 

Weekly media wrap - 11 June 2019

Self-harm and suicide attempts have recently increased amongst refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island, sparking increased tensions and the deployment of a PNG paramilitary police unit. This crisis has also led to local hospitals being overrun as asylum seekers are being referred on to locally-funded health services despite Australia spending over $20 million on a healthcare contract with another hospital. 

Australia has been internationally condemned for detaining a blind and mentally ill Tamil refugee, known as Kumar, for almost a decade. A United Nations working group stated that Kumar’s detention is a contravention of Australia’s human rights and international legal obligations. The group called on Australia to release Kumar from detention and offer compensation and reparations. Kumar was recognised by Australia as a refugee in 2010, and a previous adverse security assessment was overturned in 2016.  

Labor’s Home Affairs spokeswoman, Kristina Keneally, claimed that an increasing number of asylum seekers are now reaching Australia via airplane. Keneally condemned the Australian Government’s efforts to maintain control of Australia’s air borders over the past four years, and questioned why aerial patrols of Australia’s borders were halted for an unknown period of time.

Weekly media wrap - 3 June 2019

In the federal government’s post-election re-shuffle, the department of home affairs, led by Peter Dutton, regained responsibility for refugee settlement services and migrant adult education. Since 2013 these functions have been performed by the departments of social services and education. Refugee support groups criticised the move. 

A boat carrying 20 Sri Lankan asylum seekers was intercepted on its way to Australia. The group of Sri Lankans, which included at least one baby, was returned to Colombo following the rejection of their asylum claims. The boat had left Sri Lanka in the first week of May, following the country’s Easter bombing attacks. 

The US attorney responsible for bringing charges against two Rwandan men, Gregoire Nyaminani and Leonidas Bimenyimana, stated that the United States had been ‘certain’ the two were members of a Hutu terror group. The men were recently re-settled in Australia as part of the federal government’s deal with the US, a decision that has been criticised by immigration experts and lawyers. 

In international news, an internal UN document revealed that more than half the refugees currently held in Libyan detention centres are at risk due to the deteriorating security situation in and around Tripoli. The UNHCR called for all refugees to be evacuated from the detention centres.

Weekly media wrap - 26 May 2019

Following its re-election last Saturday, the Coalition government has prioritised a repeal of the medical evacuation laws passed in February 2019. The Treasurer Josh Frydenberg confirmed there is budget available to keep the Christmas Island centre open, should the Senate block the repeal bill. 

Since the outcome of the election on Saturday, Manus Island- and Nauru-based refugees and advocates have voiced their concern about the re-elected Morrison government. They, and doctors on the islands, reported a surge in apparent suicide attempts and self-harm on both islands since the election, although there have been varied reports on the number of cases. 

The Guardian reported that more than 40 people have been transferred to Australia for urgent medical treatment from Manus Island and Nauru since the passing of the medical evacuation laws earlier this year. The Medical Evacuation Response Group (Merg), which is triaging the asylum seekers and refugees seeking medical care, said they were receiving an average of 11 applications a day. 

Families in a Syrian refugee camp wrote to Prime Minister Scott Morrison urgently seeking evacuation. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the letter urges the Morrison government to evacuate at least 30 Australian children detained in this refugee camp for Islamic State families. The families are seeking urgent help as a result of dangerous and squalid conditions, significant injuries, illnesses and malnourishment. The letter was sent to the Prime Minister via Save The Children. 

Weekly media wrap - 18 May 2019

News outlet Politico reported that two Rwandan men accused of mass murder and detained by the US were granted humanitarian visas by Australia as part of the federal government’s resettlement deal with the US. Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the men were in Australia but said they had been screened by security agencies.

A Tamil family detained by immigration authorities in March last year lost their final appeal for asylum and will likely be deported to Sri Lanka. The family are at the centre of a grassroots campaign driven by their local community in Biloela, central Queensland. Labor leader Bill Shorten vowed to reopen the case if he wins the federal election.

The Chinese-Australian community paid tribute to former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who passed away on Thursday, for his decision to offer asylum to thousands of Chinese students and their families in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989.

Six former Afghani soldiers who sought asylum in Australia after last October's Invictus Games in Sydney were granted permanent protection visas.

The UNHCR said at least 65 people drowned when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Tunisian coast. It was one the deadliest shipwrecks involving migrants trying to reach Europe this year.

Weekly media wrap - 13 May 2019

In the lead-up to the federal election, Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed that the current US resettlement deal still has scope to resettle hundreds more refugees. The Liberal party also won’t rule out New Zealand’s previous offer to take 150 refugees from Australia’s offshore detention. Meanwhile, Labor claimed it will use the US refugee deal to scope a potential resettlement arrangement with New Zealand, and may pursue other third-country options to get people off Manus Island and Nauru. Check out Asylum Insight’s Special Election Explainer for more details on the parties’ policies. 

Labor’s Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong slammed a campaign which it claims is spreading false content about Labor’s refugee policies. The WeChat campaign, from an influential Chinese social media site, claimed that a future Labor government would increase humanitarian intake at least tenfold over the next decade and would allow visas to five or six of each refugee’s relatives. Labor is requesting that the Liberal party rule out any involvement in this campaign. 

Refugee support workers on Manus Island claimed they were directed to falsify reporting documents to make it appear that they were meeting government requirements. Some workers resigned in protest after being asked to falsify records, including writing fraudulent files for clients they had not seen and completing management plans for refugees without any assessment.

Weekly media wrap - 6 May 2019

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the federal government’s plan to cap refugee intake numbers at the current rate of 18,750 a year for the next three years if the coalition is re-elected. Morrison detailed the particulars of the refugee intake program, which includes an increased offshore component target of 60 per cent for women, as well as an aim to resettle 40 per cent of arrivals in regional areas. 

Victorian children’s commissioner Liana Buchanan increased calls for the federal government to provide access to detention centres, following reports from advocates that at least five children under the age of seven are detained at the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation Centre facility. Priya, a Tamil mother currently detained at the centre with her family, accused the government of failing to give adequate medical care to her youngest daughter, Tharnicaa, who is almost 2 years old. 

The partner of Omid Masoumali, an Iranian refugee who died after setting himself on fire on Nauru in April 2016, is suing the Australian Government and International Heath and Medical Services (IHMS) for failing to provide adequate medical care for her husband.

The Nauruan government failed to approve the contract extension of Canstruct, the company responsible for managing the island’s processing centre, until hours before it was due to expire. The stand-off, which saw Canstruct and Wilson inform caseworkers and other stakeholders that they were ‘demobilising’, resulted in chaos and confusion for asylum seekers and refugees, who were told to clear out of the centre and warned that healthcare may cease. 

A new global survey found that 46 per cent of Australian respondents believed immigration should be reduced, while 23 per cent thought it should be increased. In a national poll, conducted by Essential Media, 51 per cent of respondents believed immigration was ‘generally positive’ for the country, while 35 per cent thought it was ‘generally negative’. 

Weekly media wrap - 29 April 2019

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre released a report which found that a federal government decision to change the eligibility requirements for Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) – a welfare program for community-based asylum seekers – had created a ‘housing and hunger crisis’. 

The Government of Nauru rejected comments by former president, Sprent Dabwido, that the country’s offshore detention deal with Australia had led to corruption and greed on the island.

The UNHCR evacuated 325 African refugees – mainly Eritrean, Sudanese and Nigerian – from the Qasr Ben Gashir detention centre in Libya because of deteriorating security and escalating violence.

In the USA, the FBI arrested the leader of a right-wing militia that was detaining migrant families at gunpoint near the border in southern New Mexico.

Weekly media wrap - 20 April 2019

Former Nauru president Sprent Dabwido called for an end to detention on the island and expressed regret for making an agreement with the Gillard Government to re-open an offshore processing centre there, which has since led to the deaths of refugees. Mr Dabwido is currently in Australia, having sought asylum himself. Dabwido is among a group of former politicians called the ‘Nauru 19’ who were involved in a protest against a government crackdown on MPs in 2015. The Nauru Government sought to convict and jail the protesters.

Rallies were held on Palm Sunday in capital cities and regional centres across Australia calling for an end to the offshore detention of asylum seekers.

In the United States, the Justice Department decided that asylum seekers who have proven a credible fear for their safety will no longer be able to ask a judge for bond release. This decision could mean more migrants are indefinitely detained while they wait for their cases to be heard. 

Weekly media wrap - 15 April 2019

The Australian Government defended the $185 million spent to reopen the Christmas Island immigration detention centre, but subsequently recommended that it soon be closed. The centre was reopened following the passing of the Medevac legislation, with 140 contractors and 14 medical staff, however there are yet to be any detainees transferred there. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg claimed the expense was justified as the centre sent ‘a deterrent to people who would try to game the system’.  

An Australian Paladin employee on Manus Island was charged with sexual offences against two PNG women. It is understood that, prior to his arrest, Paladin management took no action following one woman’s reporting of the incident. The man received bail however has been ordered not to leave Manus Island, including surrendering his passport. The matter has been adjourned to May for a final ruling.

Malaysian authorities fear a new wave of people smuggling by sea after 37 people were found on a beach in Northern Malaysia. It is believed that they are either from Bangladesh or Rohingya from Myanmar. Meanwhile, Bangladesh has sent armed border guards to patrol its southern border with Myanmar, stirring diplomatic tensions.

Weekly media wrap - 7 April 2019

The federal budget, released this week, includes expenditure of $2.9 billion on immigration in 2019–20, of which around 65 per cent is to be spent on irregular migrants on and offshore.  

The key elements of the federal budget in relation to asylum policy have been reported as:

• the repeal of Medevac legislation that allows doctors to recommend seriously ill asylum seekers and refugees be transferred from Nauru and Manus Island for medical treatment in Australia; 

• the closure of Christmas Island Immigration Detention Centre, reopened in February at a cost of $180 million, from 1 July 2019; and 

• the reduction of payments to asylum seekers in Australia under the Status Resolution Support Service (SRSS) from $139.8 million in 2017-18 to $52.6 million in 2019-20.

For more information on the federal budget, see reporting from the Parliament of Australia, Kaldor Centre and Refugee Council of Australia.

Currently the Christmas Island centre is staffed by 150 people with no asylum seekers or refugees transferred there. One person has been transferred under the Medevac legislation, but was sent to mainland Australia for medical care. 

Under the Australia–United States resettlement agreement, 508 refugees have been transferred from Nauru and Papua New Guinea, while 1868 people remain in the two countries.