Nauru refugee detention extreme, inhumane

June 17, 2011
Issue 
Nauru detention centre.
The federal Labor government closed down its Nauru detention centre in 2008.

The president of the Pacific island nation of Nauru told Australian opposition leader Tony Abbott that it would move to sign the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees though it has not taken formal steps to do so.

Abbott said on June 13 this meant Prime Minister Julia Gillard had 鈥渞un out of excuses鈥 not to reopen the centre and send refugees to the small, poor nation about 4000 kilometres from Australia.

On his 36-hour visit to Nauru 鈥 flanked by opposition immigration spokesperson Scott Morrison and Australian media 鈥 the Liberal leader said the detention camps could reopen 鈥渋n a matter of weeks鈥 with only 鈥渃osmetic upgrades鈥.

Abbott and Morrison鈥檚 trip came amid mounting criticism of Labor over its Malaysia refugee swap plan.

The opposition has taken Labor鈥檚 extreme and inhumane 鈥渟olution鈥 to so-called people smuggling as an opportunity to push its planned revival of the 鈥淧acific solution鈥 and the reintroduction of temporary protection visas.

Abbott said 鈥渃ompared to Malaysia鈥 Nauru was 鈥渕ore humane鈥, 鈥渃ost effective鈥 and 鈥減roven鈥. He told 2GB radio鈥檚 Alan Jones that Nauru was 鈥渟o keen to help鈥.

Nauru鈥檚 president, the nation supported reopening the centres, closed in 2008 when the Rudd Labor government ended the 鈥淧acific solution鈥, because Nauru owed 鈥渁 debt of gratitude鈥 to Australia.

It hosted two of the former Howard government鈥檚 鈥淧acific solution鈥 detention centres between 2001 and 2007 in exchange for funding and programs from Australia.

Nauru relies heavily on Australian aid and imports 鈥 including funding for infrastructure such as a police station and a school, as well as food and drink, steel, iron and aluminium.

The impoverished island nation has a population of fewer than 10,000, little arable land, almost no fresh water supply and 90% unemployment. Its workforce was mostly employed by the phosphate-mining boom that ended in the 1990s.

Diabetes and heart disease cause high mortality. The island鈥檚 main hospital is more than 70 years old and in disrepair.

Housing is also a serious problem: the locals now lived in 鈥渦nused mobile rooms left over from John Howard's Pacific Solution鈥. A primary school was also being run out of one detention camp.

The department of foreign affairs and trade said Nauru鈥檚 total debt was $869 million, 20 times its GDP, in 2009-10. The 2010-11 Australian federal budget provided about $26.6 million in aid to Nauru.

Despite Nauru鈥檚 terrible poverty and stagnant economy, Morrison said that the prospect for reopening an Australian detention camp there was 鈥渂etter than it was a decade ago鈥.

Abbott claimed taking asylum seekers who arrive in Australia to a detention centre on Nauru was 鈥減roven鈥 to 鈥渟top the boats鈥.

But his comments have come under fire from refugee advocates and the UN high commissioner on refugees.

A Canberra for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees told news.com.au on June 6: 鈥淭he Pacific Solution, including the use of Nauru, was a deeply problematic policy, both as a matter of principle and for those refugees and asylum-seekers affected by it.鈥

A big problem with Abbott鈥檚 and Gillard鈥檚 so-called solutions 鈥 sending asylum seekers that reach Australia to detention in regional nations 鈥 is that refugees are denied access to Australia鈥檚 appeal process or to thorough investigation of their protection needs.

More than half those who appeal their rejected asylum claims in Australia succeed in having them overturned.

It also means their indefinite and agonising detention can be prolonged further because they are outside Australia鈥檚 rule of law, removed from public scrutiny and out of reach of supporters and advocates.

Under Howard, many refugees held on Nauru spent years locked up with no help or access to a fair hearing for their asylum claims. Contrary to ALP claims that 鈥渕ost were resettled in Australia anyway鈥, about 30% were sent back to the unsafe places from which they fled.

Forty-five percent were resettled in Australia and the rest were sent to a third country. The last refugee held on Nauru had spent seven years there.

Phil Glendenning from the Edmund Rice Centre told ABC鈥檚 The World Today on June 13 that sending refugees to Nauru : 鈥淛ust because one solution [has] got massive problems like those in the Malaysia solution, it doesn鈥檛 mean that Nauru doesn鈥檛. I think anyone calling for the reopening of Nauru has forgotten the history.鈥

Glendenning followed up on several Afghans deported back to Afghanistan under Howard, and later documented that many were later tortured or killed: 鈥淭here were 42 unaccompanied minors, children, sent back into the war zone that was Afghanistan.

鈥淲e know that 11 of those people [who were sent back] were killed and I believe that number is far higher 鈥 well in advance of 20 including children,鈥 he said.

鈥淭errible atrocities were done to people out of Nauru that I would be staggered to think that Nauru would be a solution.鈥

Immigration minister Chris Bowen said the Labor government had ruled out any Nauru plans because 鈥渢he majority of people who went to Nauru ended up in Australia鈥.

But the government would restart another Howard-era refugee camp on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. It announced in early May that refugees not taken to Malaysia would be detained on Manus Island indefinitely.

A regional processing centre 鈥 whether run by Labor or the Coalition 鈥 denies Australia鈥檚 responsibility under its own and international laws and outsources human suffering to countries ill-equipped and dependent on Australian aid.

The said the plan also heralded a return to 鈥渢he horrors of the Pacific solution鈥 and will 鈥渂urden an impoverished country with our responsibility鈥.

Greens MP Adam Bandt successfully moved a motion in federal parliament on June 16 that condemned the government鈥檚 Malaysia refugee swap.

The motion called on the government to 鈥渋mmediately abandon the proposal鈥. Bandt said: "We should not be contracting out our obligations overseas and swapping the human rights of one group of asylum seekers for another.

鈥淚 hope the government listens to the Australian public and parliament and scraps this deal.鈥

Comments

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