The federal government is facing pressure to pause the deportation of former immigration detainees to Nauru, following concerns a resettlement deal with the Pacific nation could be breaching Australia’s international obligations.
Australia has committed $408 million to resettle the hundreds of former immigration detainees in Nauru, known as the NZYQ cohort, some of whom are convicted criminals.
It seems Nauru is considering sending the group back to their countries of origin, according to President David Adeang, who has stated they do not qualify as refugees.
On Monday evening, Senators David Pocock and David Shoebridge read an independently translated version of Adeang’s February interview explaining the deal, inside the Senate chamber. The translated version was provided by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC).
Shoebridge said Adeang’s remarks spark concerns about the safety of those sent to the island and further demonstrated why the Nauru deal continues to be shrouded in secrecy.
“We know that there are multiple refugees in this cohort, and the Nauruan president is saying to his people that none of the people being forcibly deported are refugees,” he told reporters.
“Australia has a fundamental duty to ensure these individuals are not returned to any place where they could face verified threats of persecution,” he added.
A translation from an interview has disclosed that President Adeang does not regard the NZYQ group as refugees. This information was sourced from AAP / Dominic Giannini.
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Upon defying a Senate order to produce a translation, Foreign Minister Penny Wong argued it was contrary to public interest and “could reasonably be expected to prejudice Australia’s international relations”, including Australia’s standing in the region.
Last month, it was a speech by Adeang that confirmed Nauru had accepted the first cohort of deportees from Australia, with the exact number unclear.
ASRC head of advocacy Ogy Simic thanked the senators for reading the translation, stating the “secrecy and corruption” of the deal needed to be closely examined.
“It’s now time for a royal commission into offshore processing,” he told reporters.
“At very least, the government needs to be very closely examined about what’s happening on Nauru.”
– With additional reporting by Australian Associated Press.
