Australian PM leaves door open to sending refugees to New Zealand
Date
2/17/2016 9:08:10 AM
(MENAFN- The Peninsula) PM Malcolm Turnbull announces his new federal cabinet during a media conference at Parliament House in Canberra Australia September 20 2015.Reuters/David Gray
By Matt Siegel
SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister MalcolmTurnbull on Wednesday left open the possibility of resettlementin New Zealand for asylum seekers facing repatriation to adetention camp in the tiny Pacific Island nation of Nauru.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key arrives in Australia onThursday for talks that may revive an offer by Key to acceptsome asylum seekers now in Australia providing Turnbull a wayout of a growing political headache.
Key reached a deal in 2013 with former Australian PrimeMinister Julia Gillard to resettle 150 refugees then inAustralia as part of New Zealand's annual humanitarian intake of750 refugees.
But Turnbull's predecessor Tony Abbott had declined tofollow up on Key's offer.
"John Key will be here tomorrow" Turnbull told reporters inBrisbane. "He is a very good friend of Australia. We will betalking about these issues together but I don't want toforeshadow any changes to our policy."
Australia's tough immigration policies provide that anyoneintercepted while trying to reach the country by boat is sentfor processing to camps in Nauru and Papua New Guinea's ManusIsland. They are never eligible to be resettled in Australia.
Australia's High Court this month rejected a legal test casethat challenged its right to deport 267 refugee children andtheir families who had been brought from Nauru about 3000km(1800 miles) northeast of Australia for medicaltreatment.
The detention centre which houses more than 500 people hasdrawn widespread criticism for harsh conditions and reports ofsystemic child abuse.
The number of asylum seekers trying to reach Australia issmall in comparison with those arriving in Europe but bordersecurity is a hot-button political issue in Australia which isscheduled to hold a national election later in the year.
The New Zealand offer still stands Key told reporters onMonday ahead of his first visit to Australia since Turnbullousted Abbott in a party coup last September.
"If they wanted us to take people then - subject to themmeeting the criteria - the New Zealand government would beobliged to do that because we've given that commitment thatwe'd do so" Fairfax quoted Key as saying.
Abbott had campaigned relentlessly on securing Australia'sborders and argued that resettling refugees in New Zealand wouldspur people smugglers to resume attempts to reach Australia.
Turnbull is under pressure to tackle the Nauru repatriationissue amid criticism from rights groups the United Nations andmedical bodies including the British medical journal theLancet which slammed the policy in an editorial last week.
Australia says the policies are necessary to stop asylumseekers drowning aboard the unseaworthy vessels used by peoplesmugglers to ship them from Indonesia to Australia.
Reuters