MEDIA RELEASE<\/p>\n
NO ADVANTAGE SCRAPPED \u2013 REFUGEE PROCESSING TO START ON NAURU<\/p>\n
The Nauru Director of the Department of Immigration has told a meeting
\nof asylum seekers in the Nauru detention camp that their refugee
\nassessments will begin \u201cin about ten days.\u201d<\/p>\n
The initial refugee assessments are expected to be finalised in around
\nsix months.<\/p>\n
Despite telling the meeting that he is speaking on behalf of the
\nNauruan government, the details of the processing reveals that the
\nprocessing is totally controlled by the Australian government.<\/p>\n
A Nauruan government officer will only be involved at the very final
\nstep to accept or reject recommendations made by the assessors flown
\nfrom Australia.<\/p>\n
In an answer to a question from one asylum seeker, trying to explain
\nwhy processing is happening on Nauru, he says, \u201cThe Australian
\ngovernment decided it will happen this way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The asylum seekers were also told, \u201cIf you are found to be a refugee
\nthere is no guarantee that you will be resettled in Australia. You my
\nbe resettled in another country that accepts refugees.\u201d The director
\nthen lists a number of countries, such as the United States, Canada,
\nUK, Sweden, Norway, Finland, but is unable to say how long that
\nresettling could take.<\/p>\n
The DIAC announcement comes after x days of asylum seekers stitching
\ntheir lips and hunger strike protest, and numerous self-harm and
\nattempted suicide incidents. Six asylum seekers have also been flown
\nto the Australian mainland in the last two weeks, most with<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Director\u2019s announcement has blown the so-called \u2018no advantage\u2019
\nprinciples of the Australian government out of the water. Asylum
\nseekers on Nauru are being processed while those on Manus Island and
\nthose in Australia remain in limbo. The government must start refugee
\nassessments for the thousands of asylum seekers living in the
\ncommunity,\u201d said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action
\nCoalition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe announcement is unlikely to put an end to the protests in the
\nNauru camp. The government has said nothing about how long people will
\nbe left on Nauru even if they are found to be refugees. Nobody can
\nexplain to them why they have been victimised by being sent to Nauru.
\nNow that refugee processing is about to begin, there is even less
\njustification for their mistreatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as under the Howard government, while a few might go to New
\nZealand, but the majority of the refugees on Nauru and Manus Island
\nwill be resettled in Australia. The government should end the fiction
\nand the victimisation and bring all the asylum seekers to Australia,\u201d
\nsaid Rintoul.<\/p>\n
For more information contact Ian Rintoul, mob 0417 275 713<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MEDIA RELEASE NO ADVANTAGE SCRAPPED \u2013 REFUGEE PROCESSING TO START ON NAURU The Nauru Director of the Department of Immigration has told a meeting of asylum seekers in the Nauru detention camp that their refugee assessments will begin \u201cin about ten days.\u201d The initial refugee assessments are expected to be finalised in around six months. Despite telling the meeting that he is speaking on behalf of the Nauruan government, the details of the processing reveals that the processing is totally…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archived-press-releases","post-has-thumbnail"],"yoast_head":"\n