Gov't opens PNG detention centre

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Created on Wednesday, 10 October 2012 17:05

Written by Editorial staff

The Australian government has opened a detention centre on Papua New Guinea as part of its attempt to deal with the asylum seeker problem. The move to offshore processing has been met with mixed results, with some Sri Lankans who lacked immigration visa, opting to return home rather than face detention on Nauru or PNG.

Mr Bowen said that this policy will slash the number of boat arrivals and strike at the heart of people smugglers.

"I think we are seeing our message cut through in the region.

"And I think the people who've arrived in Australia have learnt that that's not the case (staying on Nauru for a short time before coming to Australia) and several of them have taken the decision to return to their country of origin."

But for the most part, the boats have still kept coming, with News Limited reporting yesterday (October 9) that the number of detainees in Australia has hit an all-time high.

Shadow immigration minister Scott Morrison has said that any attempt to solve the boat people problem will pale in comparison to the coalition's strategy, which worked in the past.

And of the opening of the PNG processing centre, he felt that the government's choice was uninspired, saying "It's always been our policy."

He said that there was no belief in the border protection policy that the government had established, and that they were doing so just to put forward the impression of action.

The opposition has welcomed the introduction of a processing centre on PNG however, suggesting that the fact PNG are signatories to the United Nations Refugee Convention. Morrison hinted that the government is not concerned with this issue, citing the failed Malaysian solution, a nation which isn't a signatory to that convention.

Morrison has said that budgeting issues when it comes to boat people is also a factor, showing that the present government has blown through the budget estimate for boat arrivals by more than 1,000 arrivals in just the first 100 days of the new financial year. The bill to pay for the asylum seekers is estimated to be at around $1.1 billion which will affect the government's attempt to reach a surplus.

Kevin Rudd first dismantled John Howard's boat policy in 2008 and Julia Gillard said that she would address the boat arrivals when she became leader of the Labor party in 2010.