Offshore processing lapse reignites refugee debate

Paul Osborne, Tess Ikonomou and Maeve Bannister | February 7, 2023

Australia’s treatment of refugees has been placed into parliament’s spotlight after the federal government allowed a regional offshore detention agreement to expire.

Kurdish refugee Behrouz Boochani, who spent six years detained on Manus Island, called for a royal commission into Australia’s offshore processing, saying the nation has a right to know what its governments have done onshore and offshore.

On the same day Mr Boochani spoke at Parliament House, the government proposed an urgent motion to redesignate the tiny pacific island of Nauru as a regional processing country for another 10 years after legislation lapsed in October.

In his address, Mr Boochani drew attention to the asylum seekers who died on Manus Island, the hundreds who were “damaged” because of their detention and the $14 billion spent on security contracts.

“I think people of Australia have this right to know what the government … both political parties, what they have done onshore and offshore,” he said.

But Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said regional processing was an integral part of Australia’s border policies and fighting the people-smuggling trade.

“(These issues) are complex and difficult and if anyone is arguing that there is a simple, easy solution to this they are absolutely wrong,” she said.

“The solutions that we have found are the ones that carry tremendous responsibility and gravity, but ultimately there is a higher purpose here and that is trying to stop people dying at sea.”

Ms O’Neil said people-smuggling was a regional issue and needed to be solved with international partners.

Opposition spokeswoman Karen Andrews said the coalition supported the government’s motion, but the legislation should not have been allowed to lapse.

She said Australia had been open to legal risk since October, when the previous agreement with Nauru ended.

“It’s a serious oversight and the minister needs to take responsibility for it,” she said.

The Greens opposed the move.

Senator Nick McKim introduced a bill that would require the government to transfer all people in offshore processing on Nauru or Papua New Guinea to Australia to be placed in community detention if they posed no security threat.

“There is no benefit to them staying (in offshore detention) except for the lame old excuses, the lame old spin that we get rolled out by the Labor and Liberal parties to try to justify torture,” he said. 

“Enough is enough. There is never an excuse for torture.”

Lower house cross bench MPs criticised the government for rushing the motion through parliament without proper opportunity for debate. 

Independent MP Dai Le, who spent four years in refugee camps after her family fled Vietnam, said she supported the government’s stance on offshore processing but did not think redesignating Nauru as a processing centre was the right option.

“I spent four years in refugee camps … waiting to be processed, waiting for a new life, waiting for safety,” she said.

“I support some form of processing, but in a fair way because we do need to ensure genuine refugees can get the opportunity to be resettled.”

Fellow independent Kylea Tink said she backed Mr Boochani’s call for a royal commission.

“It is beyond time for us as a parliament to turn the lights on the … rotten and cruel policy of indefinite, arbitrary detention of people who have sought Australia’s protection,” she said.