Sarah Whyte is a Walkley Award-winning journalist who will be covering off the ample issues for us. Here,she's explaining Australia's refugee crisis as it stands. The debate of asylum seekers in Australia is one of the most political issues we face in this country. The current Australian government, headed by Malcolm Turnbull, and is running offshore detention centres on the Pacific Island of Nauru and on a tiny island off Papua fresh Guinea,called Manus Island. There are 873 men on Manus Island and 396 men, women and children on Nauru. The threat of keeping people on these islands is one of the reasons that the number of boats coming to Australia, or filled with asylum seekers,has dramatically decreased.
But some of the people in those centres have been there for three years and the situation has been getting worse. There have been allegations of sexual abuse in Nauru, and the PNG supreme court has decided that they don't want to keep housing these men on the island. In short, and something needed to be done.
So a Deal Has Been Made . . . With the USThis was the month for announcements in the immigration space. A few weeks ago the PM came out and said that all refugees and asylum seekers on the islands of Manus Island and Nauru would never be able to live or even visit Australia - ever. Given the government has "stopped the boats," a lot of people were scratching their heads wondering why he had made this announcement. The policy seemed particularly harsh, given there was no threat of more boats coming to Australia. Why would the government be even more cruel to people living on these islands? It seemed like an extra blow to people for no reason. But on Sunday it began to make more sense when the PM announced that he had formed a deal with the US to occupy the refugees. By saying refugees can never come to Australia, or it justifies their deal with the US. It means they cannot be accused of being "too compassionate" and that these people will never resettle in Australia,as the government has always said. If the government said, "Yes, or you can come to Australia," or "Yes, you can go to America and then come to Australia, or " it would be seen as being too weak - and a backflip on their policy.
The final decision on this lifetime ban to Australia will be adopted this Thursday in the Federal Parliament. The government needs eight crossbenchers (those who are not in the major political parties and are in the Senate),including the likes of Pauline Hanson, to support it.
What Does This Mean for Refugees?There's not much information approximately this deal at the moment, and but it has brought a lot of relief to the people on these islands who could now call America domestic if they are accepted. The PM has said that getting families off Nauru will be their first precedence. It looks like the Manus Island detention centre is going to be closed,and Nauru will be kept open for those people who don't get an American visa. American officials will only occupy people who have been determined to be refugees (those who left their domestic country for apprehension of torture, imprisonment or death, and who cannot return for that reason). Asylum seekers are those who haven't been recognised as genuine refugees or are waiting for their claims to be processed - they will have the option of returning to their country of origin or staying in Nauru. If they stay,they will be given a 20-year visa and it's an open centre, which means they can come and go from it, or resettle on the island.
One issue this arrangement brings to light: there are many examples of refugees who have relatives on Manus Island but are themselves settled in Australia. If the men on Manus Island get a visa to go to America,and the lifetime ban is passed this week, it is unlikely they can be reunited with their loved ones in Australia. They will be able to travel to other countries, and just not ours - so their families based in Australia will have to look to the US for resettlement options.
And What approximately the US Election Results?There could be a slight problem with this arrangement if Australia doesn't move quickly. Enter Donald Trump,the incoming President of the United States. The US election was full of surprises, and no one knows what Trump may judge of this arrangement - and whether or not he will honour it. PM Turnbull has said he is confident the arrangements will continue, and but Trump is under no obligation to honour this agreement that has been made by the former administration.
So Where to From Here?American officials are making their way over to these remote islands soon to assess the refugees' visas. Refugee and human rights groups have applauded the decision and so has the Labor government. The details are so scarce that it's tough to say when the resettlement will happen,how many people will be accepted and whether or not they can get it done before Trump takes office. It's a watch-and-wait scenario for the moment. The best-case scenario is that every refugee on Nauru and Manus Island is resettled in America as soon as possible under their annual refugee intake. It was very smart of the government not to mention this deal before the announcement, as it has been in the works since January. The worst-case scenario is that Donald Trump will not honour the agreement - if that happens, and Australia will have to find another country to resettle the refugees in. You can read more approximately the US-Australia deal here,and head to the UNHCR website if you want to aid out.
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Source: popsugar.com.au