Nauru data leak paints 'disturbing picture' of refugee abuse, human rights groups say. Updated The leak of a huge archive of files detailing allegations of abuse on Nauru shows the Federal Government has failed to address concerns about the treatment of adults and children in detention, human rights advocates said.
Key points: 2,000 Nauru incident reports leakedHuman Rights Watch says Government's asylum seeker policies 'inhuman'Government says allegations in reports not all confirmed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the Government will investigate thousands of files that were published on The Guardian website on Wednesday morning. Former immigration minister, now Treasurer, Scott Morrison said the documents contained allegations and were not proof of mistreatment. The Guardian said the document dump was the largest from inside Australia's asylum seeker regime. More than 2,000 incident reports outline various allegations of abuse, including assaults, sexual assaults and self harm between 2013 and 2015. Drawing by child in detention.
Manus Island: Refugee from Australia's offshore processing centre drowns. Posted A refugee from Australia's offshore processing centre on Manus Island has drowned.
Refugees on the island said the man was Pakistani Kamil Hussain. They said he went missing at around 4:00pm on August 2 at a waterfall, near the main town of Lorengau, on Manus Island. Local people and police conducted a search and the man's body was found two hours later. Ministerforimmigrationborderprotectionstatement. Election 2016: How accurate are Peter Dutton's comments on 'illiterate' refugees? Updated The comments made by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton on the dangers of an increased refugee intake have been described as everything from factual to offensive.
But how accurate are they? Let us have a look at what exactly Mr Dutton said: "For many people, they won't be numerate or literate in their own language, let alone English. " Data collected from more than 2,300 recently arrived humanitarian migrants between late 2013 and 2014 found that 44 per cent of the female and 33 per cent of males "did not understand spoken English" prior to arrival. Lateline - 18/11/2014: Asylum seekers in Indonesia denied entry to Australia. Australian Broadcasting Corporation Broadcast: 18/11/2014 Reporter: Emma Alberici The federal government has moved to stop the flow of asylum seekers through Indonesia by denying those who registered through the UN in Indonesia after the first of July this year the right to resettle in Australia.
EMMA ALBERICI, PRESENTER: The Federal Government has moved to stop the flow of asylum seekers through Indonesia. Australian Story. Introduced by Caroline Jones This week's program is about a young woman who puts a human face to the issue of "unauthorised" boat arrivals in Australia.
Mojgan Shamsalipoor fled terrible personal trauma in her home country, Iran, and found sanctuary in Brisbane where she was able to live in the community while awaiting a decision on her protection visa. At a youth camp she met a young Iranian refugee, Milad Jafari. They fell in love, married and were looking forward to a happier future. Election 2016: Peter Dutton stands by refugee remarks. Election live: Turnbull backs Dutton over 'illiterate' refugee comments. So how accurate were Peter Dutton's comments?
But how accurate are they? Let us have a look at what exactly Mr Dutton said: For many people, they won't be numerate or literate in their own language, let alone English. Data collected from more than 2,300 recently arrived humanitarian migrants between late 2013 and 2014 found that 44 per cent of the female and 33 per cent of males "did not understand spoken English" prior to arrival. The data, published by the Department of Social Services, also found that 23 per cent of female and 17 per cent of males were illiterate in their own language. The figures follow a 2010 survey, also published by the Department of Social Services the following year, which found that more than 45 per cent of respondents said they could read English well or very well.
AM - Immigration secrecy provisions to be challenged in the High Court 27/07/2016. MICHAEL BRISSENDEN: A High Court challenge is being brought against the Federal Government's immigration detention secrecy provisions.
The group Doctors for Refugees is filing the case, arguing the Border Force Act gags those who work in detention centres from speaking out about conditions. Lexi Metherell reports. LEXI METHERELL: Australia may not have a bill of rights which upholds freedom of speech but lawyer Meghan Fitzgerald, from the Fitzroy Legal Service says that right is implied in the Constitution. She says the Border Force Act is not consistent with that. Lateline - 20/02/2014: China critical of Australias treatment of asylum seekers.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation Broadcast: 20/02/2014 Reporter: Stephen McDonell As part of a government to government discussion on human rights Beijing has criticised Australia's treatment of asylum seekers and questioned whether Australia may be illegally repatriating refugees to third countries.
EMMA ALBERICI, PRESENTER: China has criticised Australia's treatment of asylum seekers, especially children. As part of a meeting held today on human rights, Beijing has also questioned whether Australia may be illegally repatriating refugees to third countries. STEPHEN MCDONNELL, REPORTER: Vice-Minister Li Baodong from the Chinese Foreign Ministry led his country's delegation. Protesters at Melbourne airport fail to stop transfer of asylum seeker. Updated Protesters at the Melbourne airport have failed to stop an asylum seeker from being transferred this morning.
Activist group GetUp said the Sudanese man had been brought to Australia for medical treatment. About a dozen activists tried to block a van believed to be transporting the man from entering the airport. The asylum seeker was taken into the airport after police moved on protesters blocking the van, activists said. Protester Sally Hunter said she was prepared to be arrested. "[Police] have given us a caution," she said. Port Moresby Govt sets aside 10 hectare site for West Papuan refugees - Pacific Beat. Updated The Governor of Port Moresby has told West Papuans refugees to occupy land that has been allocated to them before it is taken by illegal settlers.
Powes Parkop says the National Capital District Commission has set aside a 10-hectare site to house thousands of West Papuan refugees, but they have been waiting for the Lands Department to formally issue the new title. Some of the refugees have been in PNG since the 1960s and they've been forced to move from squatter settlement to squatter settlement, never able to build permanent homes. Governor Parkop says he wants to see the area become the West Papuan version of Chinatown, but they have to make sure nobody else occupies the land first. Salvaging Justice for Asylum Seekers? Reflections on a Wicked Political Problem – Opinion – ABC Religion & Ethics.
Father Frank Brennan, S.J. is Professor of Law at the Australian Catholic University. There was a very moving scene at the state funeral of Malcolm Fraser in March last year, when Vietnamese Australians thronged outside the church carrying placards which read: "You are forever in our hearts: farewell to our true champion of humanity: Malcolm Fraser. " I honour Fraser, but not because he opened our borders to fleeing boat people coming in their tens of thousands.
He didn't. He secured the borders, and then he led the nation in opening "our arms and hearts to tens of thousands of refugees" as the novelist Tim Winton put it in his Palm Sunday address in Perth last year. Winton was wrong to claim that Fraser welcomed the boats. "I was proud of my country, then, proud of the man who made it happen, Malcolm Fraser, whose greatness shames those who've followed him in the job.
The boats will be stopped. "Queue jumpers" and quotas He called for a balance between compassion and realism. PNG Supreme Court adjourns resettlement decision for refugees on Manus Island. By Joy Kisselpar in Port Moresby and staff Posted A court case involving five refugees at the Australian-run detention centre on Manus Island has been adjourned until next week. Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court was today expected to issue guidelines for the release and resettlement of the detainees. The case has been adjourned until August 2 to allow time for government lawyers to examine the refugees' statements that were submitted in court. Ben Lomai, the lawyer representing the refugees, said the case was based on a Supreme Court ruling in April that found the Manus facility was unlawful and unconstitutional.
Big Scary, Violent Soho, more Laneway bands unite to support asylum seekers. Big Scary have led a stack of ace Aussie artists in taking a united stand against the country's offshore processing of asylum seekers. The Melbourne band have shared a photo taken during the recent Laneway Festival tour featuring Violent Soho, Hermitude, The Smith Street Band, labelmate Airling, Japanese Wallpaper, KUČKA and festival MC Kirin J Callinan, all brandishing signs reading 'Musicians Against Offshore Processing' and '#LetThemStay'. "It felt good to stand together with a bunch of great people and great bands to join the chorus of Australians saying #letthemstay," Big Scary wrote on Facebook alongside the image, taken by Sydney photographer Daniel Boud. "We know it's a complex issue. A Big Country: Helping migrant women settle in regional centres - ABC Rural. Newcastle praised for preparedness for resettling Syrian refugees.
Posted The state's refugee resettlement boss has praised Newcastle's preparedness, ahead of the arrival of more Syrian refugees. New South Wales is set to re-settle around 6,000 people displaced by conflict in war-torn Syria. Around half of them will be adults, and half children. Mojgan Shamsalipoor: Peter Dutton won't intervene in case of Iranian asylum seeker student. Updated. Alphonse Mulumba urges media to drop 'refugee' label for 'new Australian' Refugees struggling to find suitable housing in Newcastle call for better support. Posted Refugees in the New South Wales Hunter region say they are struggling to secure housing suitable for their large families. The refugees, predominantly from the Congo, have between four and 10 children, and live in homes that have a small number of bedrooms.
The migrants said there were long waiting lists for larger government-supported houses, and landlords were not approving them as tenants for privately-let homes. They said the Federal Government should better support refugees who wanted to buy their own house. Clement Saidi, his wife and 10 children came to Australia in 2011. Mr Saidi is a leader in the Hunter's Congolese community, and said refugees waited a long time to secure government-supported housing.
"When I came here, I went to [the] Department of Housing in Newcastle — they told me [it would be] 10 or 15 years to get a housing offer from [the Government], because there is more people waiting," Mr Saidi said. "We have only five bedrooms, but we don't have a living room. Asylum seeker children bullied in Nauru schools, Save The Children consultant says.