'No Future' For Refugees On Nauru After Funding Extension - Activist

Friday, 2 May 2025, 1:12 pm
Article: RNZ

RNZ Pacific

The Refugee Action Coalition says there is no future for the asylum seekers still stuck on Nauru, following the announcement that a funding deal for the Regional Processing Centre has been reached with Australia.

Nauru's President David Adeang made the announcement last month in parliament.

A Nauru government report states that, of the 93 transferees on Nauru, four have been granted refugee status, and 89 asylum seekers are undergoing the appeals process.

The refugee coalition's spokesperson Ian Rintoul said options are very limited for the asylum seekers.

"If there's four people have been found to be refugees, and the rest are actually going through an appeal process... it's an indication that there's some very real problem I think, with the processing on Nauru."

When asked what the long-term funding arrangement meant for those living there, he said they have no future.

"People that are on Nauru are there indefinitely," he said.

"That's one of the big problems, is that the government has talked about long-term funding for Nauru, but they've got no third country resettlement options."

Rintoul said the Australian offshore detention position is unlikely to change despite Saturday's election.

Australian governments have been sending people seeking asylum to Nauru, and also, previously, to PNG, under policy the country's boarder protection policy.

Its regional processing and resettlement stance is aimed at deterring people trying to reach the country illegally by boats.

The Australian government has maintained this position since 19 July 2013, that anyone who attempts to get into Australia illegally by boat would ever settle in the country.

Rintoul said Labor and the Liberals continue to sing from the same songsheet about refugees.

He said a new rule will allow Australia to remove not just those arriving illegally by sea, but those presently in the country.

A parliament summary said this bill - passed late last year - would allow the minister to issue written directions to a "removal pathway non-citizen" to facilitate their removal from Australia; introduce criminal penalties for refusing or failing to comply with such directions; and empower the Minister to reverse a protection finding in relation to a lawful non-citizen who is on a removal pathway.

"The new deportation legislation allows the government of the day to remove some of those people to Nauru, and the Labor government was quite happy to cooperate with the liberals, use their votes to push that legislation through," Rintoul said.

"Certainly, the refugee movement in Australia will be looking to take up the protest movement again after the election on Saturday, to push the issue of refugees, their human rights and a welcome-refugee policy that desperately needs to be implemented in Australia, and including that is to end offshore detention."

Earlier this year, the UN Human Rights Commission published its decisions on two cases involving refugees who complained about their treatment at Nauru's regional processing facility.

The committee stated that Australia remained responsible for the health and welfare of refugees and asylum seekers detained in Nauru.

"A state party cannot escape its human rights responsibility when outsourcing asylum processing to another state," committee member Mahjoub El Haiba said.

After the decisions were released, a spokesperson for the Australian Home Affairs Department said "it has been the Australian Government's consistent position that Australia does not exercise effective control over regional processing centres".

Canberra opposed the allegations put to the committee, saying there was no prima facie substantiation that the alleged violations in Nauru had occurred within Australia's jurisdiction, but the UN committee disagreed.

Meanwhile, the governments of Australia and New Zealand formlised a refugee settlement arrangement in March 2022. Under the arrangement, New Zealand will settle up to 150 refugees per year until June 2025 (up to 450 in three years).

© Scoop Media

RNZ

New Zealand's public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.

Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.

Contact RNZ

• Website - www.radionz.co.nz
• Twitter - @rnz_news
• Facebook
• Link - Contact RNZ