Refugee advocates are calling on both the Australian and PNG governments to urgently investigate the secret 2021 deal struck by the Morrison government and PNG governments for services to refugees left in PNG by Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Serious suspicions surround the governance of the deal which has left unpaid debts of millions of Australian dollars to refugee service providers and threatens to see the eviction of Australia\u2019s refugees from PNG hotels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the deal, service providers invoice the PNG Immigration and Citizenship Authority (ICA), which then refers the invoice to Chatswood for payment. But in an interview in August with refugees, ICA manager Terry Mape (Manager Refugee Resettlement) says that service providers are bypassing ICA and going to the Chief Migration Officer, Stanis Hulahau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe lack of transparency and oversight means there is an enormous capacity for corruption that extends from the CMO to individual service providers in the scheme,\u201d said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n