New Zealand face-saving deal can’t hide refugee cruelty

While the New Zealand deal is welcome news for people in limbo in Nauru, the deal only highlights the absurdity of Australia’s refusal to resettle those they sent to PNG and Nauru in 2013.

Under the deal, refugees in Nauru, and some from Nauru and PNG already in Australia, will be eligible to be resettled in New Zealand. Those who are settled in New Zealand will then be able to return to Australia.

There are only about 40 people in Nauru who will be eligible – many are already engaged with the US or Canada.

That means more than 100 refugees in Australia will make up the 150 who will go to New Zealand over the next year. This is good news for the 51 people transferred from PNG and Nauru who are still in the Park hotel and other detention centres in Australia.

“The deal highlights the abject cruelty of Australia’s offshore processing regime and its refusal to allow refugees sent offshore to settle in Australia,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.

“For almost nine years, the government has refused to bring refugees and asylum seekers from Nauru and Manus to settle in Australia. Now they have an agreement that will require that they send refugees from Australia to New Zealand,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.

“Anyone who wants to stay should be allowed to permanently stay in Australia. Refugees on Nauru with family in Australia should be allowed to come directly to Australia instead of a complicated arrangement to be resettled in New Zealand before they can join their family.

“Many will want to resettle permanently in Australia. But the deal in its present form is just a face-saving device for a Coalition government that is facing electoral defeat in a few weeks time.

“The refugee movement will expect a lot more from a Labor government.

“The other huge hole in the agreement is the exclusion of refugees and asylum seekers in PNG. They have arguably suffered even worse torture than those on Nauru. There is no excuse for the Australian government excluding those they illegally sent to Manus Island.

“The government could have gotten everyone out of Nauru and PNG if they had included PNG in the deal.

“We will keep pushing for no-one to be left behind and to end offshore detention. Too many lives and billions of dollars have been squandered.”

For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713

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