Malcolm Turnbull announces one-off agreement for refugees on Manus Island and Nauru to be resettled in US under auspices of the UNHCR
• Read the news report
• Five things we learnt about the US refugee deal
• Behrouz Bouchani responds: ‘it’s hard for me to leave Manus without justice’
• Australia’s recent immigration history dubbed a ‘human rights catastrophe’
3.33am GMT
We’re going to wrap up our live coverage of Australia’s refugee resettlement announcement now. Here’s a brief summary of what we know so far:
3.04am GMT
A coalition of refugee groups have just given a press conference to respond to the deal.
"The plan is not a plan. No timeframe. No numbers. No details on what the government will do with hundreds of innocent people" pic.twitter.com/JgH6Se6kD6
"This ugly chapter only closes when everyone suffering at our government’s hand is rebuilding their lives in safety." @DanielHRLC pic.twitter.com/0aulT2It13
Press conference with HRLC, @ChRefugee, @GetUp, @ASRC1, @OzRefugeeCounc. pic.twitter.com/AgC7k6HjCP
2.51am GMT
The Labor senator Lisa Singh has often been outspoken about Australia’s offshore detention policies. She’s currently on a secondment to the United Nations as part of a parliamentary delegation and she’s released this statement following the resettlement announcement:
Senator Lisa Singh has declared the United Nations refugee summit to be a key influential factor in the Turnbull government’s resettlement announcement of refugees from Manus Island and Nauru.
‘Clearly the agreed outcomes from the UN refugee summit have been an influential factor. This highlights the important role of multilateral institutions and the pressure they can wield.’
2.49am GMT
The prime minister posted this on his Facebook page shortly after making the resettlement announcement.
2.43am GMT
We’ve pulled together a full report on the refugee resettlement detail. For all the details, check it out here:
The Australian government has announced a landmark “one-off” resettlement deal to the United States for an unspecified number of refugees held at Australia’s remote offshore detention facilities on Nauru and Manus Island.
On Sunday the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, announced a deal that would prioritise families, women and children for settlement with “the prospect” that others in offshore detention would be resettled in the US.
2.30am GMT
Here’s the full video of the prime minister’s refugee resettlement announcement:
2.26am GMT
Oxfam Australia have also just released their own statement on the announcement. Oxfam Australia’s humanitarian policy adviser, Dr Nicole Bieske, said:
The announcement from the government today to resettle people from Nauru must bring to an end Australia’s damaging offshore processing regime.
‘Oxfam is concerned that the agreement does not end the interminable limbo for all people on Manus Island and Nauru.
2.15am GMT
There’s been a lot of responses to far to the refugee resettlement deal. But perhaps the most important voices in all of this are from the refugees and asylum seekers themselves.
We’ve asked Behrouz Boochani, who is being held on Manus Island, to write for us today about how he feels about the announcement. He’s outlined what the response has been so far on Manus Island:
It’s hard for me to leave this island without any justice. What is my right as a human? It’s hard for me to accept this option because I feel that I’m not being treated as a human.
People are so happy here but some people are so sad and this is unfair. They could do it three years ago, not now.
2.08am GMT
And here’s a light-hearted refrain from all of the serious stuff for a moment.
The Australian government announces it will send 1200 refugees from Manus and Nauru to the US in exchange for 58 million Clinton voters.
2.06am GMT
More from McKim:
It seems as if people will still be left to languish on Manus Island and Nauru.
We want to see people taken out of those camps ... the easiest, swiftest way to achieve that is to bring these people to Australia.
2.05am GMT
The Greens’ immigration spokesman, Nick McKim, is also responding now to the resettlement deal. He said there is still “significant uncertainty” over the terms of this deal.
We have to make sure that nobody is left behind on Manus Island and Nauru ... that is the critical issue here.
How many people with this deal relate to, how many people will it apply to?
2.02am GMT
And just returning to those earlier comments by the United States secretary of state, John Kerry, here’s a clearer transcript of the exact question he was asked and his response:
US Secretary of State @JohnKerry comments on Australian refugee announcement pic.twitter.com/wCr3czZBWs
1.54am GMT
The prime minister really stressed how unfairly victimised he felt the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, and the former immigration minister Scott Morrison had been.
He said they had been often unfairly targeted and treated badly by activists in the execution of the government’s immigration policy.
Malcolm Turnbull is angry people think Dutton and Morrison are heartless. @lanesainty and I checked the receipts https://t.co/Bp8tkk3QM6 pic.twitter.com/xbhPNaaECS
1.50am GMT
And here’s Amnesty International Australia’s release following the refugee announcement:
Today’s announcement by prime minister Malcolm Turnbull on third-country resettlement is an extreme step in shirking responsibility by the Australian government, said Amnesty International.
Prime minister Turnbull today announced that the Australian government is in discussions with the United States for some of the refugees warehoused on Nauru and Manus Island to be settled in the US via a process administered by the UNHCR.
1.41am GMT
Save the Children Australia, which provided welfare services on Nauru until 2015, has just issued a statement on the resettlement deal:
Save the Children has welcomed the Turnbull government’s resettlement agreement with the United States as an opportunity to restore hope and provide a pathway towards a safe and prosperous future for refugees who have spent years languishing on Nauru and Manus Island.
Save the Children Australia chief executive Paul Ronalds, said: ‘We welcome this agreement. Getting people from Nauru and Manus Island to safety is a priority of the highest order and the Turnbull government should be commended for finally negotiating an outcome that allows many people an opportunity to move forward with their lives.
1.40am GMT
My colleague Paul Karp has just sent this through, as other government MPs weigh in on the refugee announcement.
Liberal MP Andrew Laming is on Sky News and said the final number of refugees to go to the US ‘is not yet decided’. So, not only would Malcolm Turnbull not be drawn on the number of refugees it would apply to, now one MP says there is no hard figure.
“The more the better,” Laming said before attacking Labor for losing control of refugee policy.
1.14am GMT
Here are a couple of images from the press conference earlier in the day.
1.09am GMT
My colleague Helen Davidson has written this very comprehensive analysis of all the events that have brought us up to this point with the US resettlement announcement:
A deal with the US to settle an unknown number of refugees from Australia’s offshore processing centres could mark the end of one of Australia’s most contentious political and moral issues over the past 15 years.
Since offshore processing was restarted in 2001, it has grown into an internationally condemned, secretive regime, subject to hundreds of court cases in Australia and overseas.
1.04am GMT
Human Rights Watch’s Australia director Elaine Pearson has also just sent out a brief statement about the announcement:
This refugee deal is not perfect but it’s a major step forward. The Australian government’s intransigence and short-sighted immigration policies, based on political rather than humanitarian motives, have caused immense suffering to people fleeing persecution in their homelands and who were locked up on Nauru and Manus.
It’s a relief for refugees on Manus and Nauru if their ordeal is finally coming to an end, and a welcome move by the US to offer refugees safety and ability to move on with their lives. Unlike Cambodia, Nauru and Papua New Guinea, the US has an established track record in resettling and integrating refugees. We look forward to seeing more details about this agreement, and we urge both the US and Australia to move quickly to avoid more mental anguish and trauma for people who have suffered so much.
12.58am GMT
Here’s a video of the prime minister’s announcement about the resettlement deal:
Prime Minister @TurnbullMalcolm announces 'one-off' refugee resettlement agreement with the United States #auspol https://t.co/fBGbKRto5s
12.56am GMT
The Human Rights Law Centre has also issued a statement on the announced by the Australian government:
The Human Rights Law Centre says that reports of an imminent announcement of a third-country settlement deal reveal that the Turnbull government has finally conceded that the Manus and Nauru detention arrangements are unsustainable.
The Human Rights Law Centre’s director of legal advocacy, Daniel Webb, said that such a concession would be a step in the right direction but that serious questions remain about who the deal will apply to and what will happen to the innocent people left behind.
12.55am GMT
Here’s the full announcement from the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, on Australia’s resettlement deal with the United States:
The Australian government has reached a further third-country resettlement agreement for refugees currently in regional processing centres.
Resettlement arrangements for those found to be refugees in Nauru and Manus Island already exist with Papua New Guinea and Cambodia.
12.51am GMT
Here’s some important background on the UNHCR’s role in all this. The prime minister and immigration minister have not been entirely clear on their role in all this.
The UNHCR has stressed it is not a party to the Australian government’s one-off deal. They are not involved in considering claims for refugees on Manus Island and Nauru.
12.32am GMT
The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, is now responding to news of the announcement. He’s making it very clear that the opposition haven’t been briefed on the details so far but has cautiously welcomed it.
It has taken the government three plus years to negotiate this deal but we are pleased if it is an end to indefinite detention.
We will certainly in principle work with the government. But we do welcome this. We do want to see people moved out of these facilities.
12.30am GMT
The Australian government has strongly suggested that UNHCR is involved in the resettlement deal.
This is unusual because UNHCR has had no involvement in the assessment of refugee claims on Manus Island and Nauru. It strongly objects to Australia’s offshore detention regime.
The arrangement reflects a much-needed, long-term solution for some refugees who have been held in Nauru and Papua New Guinea for over three years and who remain in a precarious situation. It is on this basis that UNHCR will endorse referrals made from Australia to the United States, on a one-off, good offices, humanitarian basis, in light of the acute humanitarian situation.
The full details of the agreement are not yet known, and UNHCR is not a party to it. UNHCR remains gravely concerned about the fate of all vulnerable individuals in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. Appropriate solutions must be found for all of them. UNHCR’s endorsement of these referrals under the humanitarian imperative does not alter Australia’s obligations under international law, including the right to seek asylum irrespective of the mode of arrival.
12.29am GMT
And finally, Turnbull is quizzed by my colleague, Paul Karp, again on the precise numbers of the deal. Isn’t it reasonable to conclude that most, if not all, will be simply offered resettlement on Nauru rather than the United States?
All I can say to you is that we have demonstrated by the diligence and integrity of our response that we can secure Australia’s borders.
As to what others choose to write about it, I’ll leave that to your judgment, if not your imagination.
12.23am GMT
Next question is whether the deal is comprehensive; who will it really apply to? The prime minister has largely dodged this one but indicated that family groups are a high priority.
We are not providing any more detail about the arrangements than we have today.
The arrangement for the United States will provide the opportunity for refugees, both on Nauru and Manus, to be resettled.
People that aren’t owed protection need to return back to their country of origin.
12.20am GMT
The prime minster is now addressing questions about the deal. First up is about the timeline.
The process will be an orderly one. There will be American officials from Homeland Security coming to Australia in the next few days. We’re not setting timelines.
Of course the American government will carefully assess each would be transferee to the United States.
12.17am GMT
We’re getting the full shebang today. Next up is the commissioner of the Australian Border Force, Roman Quaedvlieg:
The Operation Sovereign Borders construct and the joint agency taskforce ... will remain in this building as an enduring capability to endure people smuggling.
12.14am GMT
The chief of the defence force is now running through the assistance Defence will continue to provide in terms of defence vessels.
Major general Bottrell, who leads Operation Sovereign Borders, is now also speaking:
We know that people smugglers will seek to take advantage of today’s announce to try to encourage other vulnerable people to enter Australia.
12.10am GMT
The immigration minister, Peter Dutton, is now speaking about the announcement:
This is the latest step in Operation Sovereign Borders ... we have more assets at sea and we have been positioning those assets in recent months in anticipation of this announcement.
I want to confirm though that there are other aspects to the annojuncement that we make today. One is that we are in final stages of negotiation with Nauru for 20 year visas.
12.06am GMT
The prime minister is now thanking the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, his predecessor, Scott Morrison, and former prime minister Tony Abbott for implementing Operation Sovereign Borders.
12.03am GMT
The prime minister is now stressing that the government will massively increase maritime operations to deter any potential boat arrivals from Indonesia and other countries.
Australia’s border protection policy has not changed. It is resolute. It is unequivocal.
12.02am GMT
Here are the first details of how the agreement will work:
I can now confirm that the government has now reached a further third-party resettlement arrangement.
The agreement is with the United States. It is a one-off agreement. It will not be repeated. It is only available to those currently in the regional processing centres.
12.00am GMT
Turnbull on the refugee policy:
I am especially proud that, under our government, we have removed all the children from Australia and closed 17 detention centres. Having secured our borders we then became in a position to work to achieve greater resettlement options for the people that the Labor party have left on Manus and Nauru. From the time I became prime minister I have been putting in place ... the measures that enabled us to do that.
11.58pm GMT
The prime minister is now speaking at his press conference and making the resettlement announcement
11.54pm GMT
There’s an important point to raise about John Kerry’s earlier comments on US involved with a resettlement deal.
Kerry seems to be under the impression that the US government will be taking referrals from the UNHCR to determine which refugees to accept from Manus Island and Nauru.
11.38pm GMT
The prime minister’s press conference is now set to begin at 10:45am.
Apparently reporters aren’t allowed to take their phones into the border control facility in Canberra. Cameras seem fine though. Who knows what mysterious advice Asio is giving them?
(This is a secure building. Ministerial staffers are also handing in their phones. But we can broadcast live with devices using SIM cards )
11.26pm GMT
Asylum seekers on Papua New Guinea and Nauru have been steadily undergoing assessments of their refugee claims over the last three years.
At the moment on Nauru those who haven’t had their claims processed are currently housed in what has been described as “open centre” arrangements since October 2015. Some of those found to be refugees are now living in the community.
As at 31 October 2016, there were a total of 872 people in Manus Island RPC and 390 people in Nauru RPC. With the opening of the Manus RPC, those yet to be determined are now permitted to depart the RPC. The figure on those still living in the RPC will therefore be fluid.
Of the 1015 Refugee Status Initial Assessment Notifications at Manus Island, 510 were positive and 505 were negative as at 31 October 2016. There were 675 refugees who have been given a positive final determination. There were 147 failed asylum seekers who have been given a negative final determination.
11.10pm GMT
Labor’s former shadow immigration minister Richard Marles was also on the ABC earlier. He welcomed the possibility of refugees getting off Nauru and Manus Island.
If this is what’s on the cards, obviously it’s welcome ... it absolutely begs the question as to why it’s taken so long and why this government wasn’t doing this three years ago.
The people have been allowed to languish there for three years. That’s been an enormous shame on this government, it’s been a disgrace.
11.09pm GMT
Earlier this morning on ABC Insiders the trade minister, Steve Ciobo, was queried about the deal.
He declined to outline any clear details, but told the ABC:
We’ve made big progress. You look at where we gotten to from where we came.
I’m not going to speculate in terms of the media headlines ... The Coalition’s focus has been on continuing to repair our border integrity.
11.06pm GMT
The United States secretary of state, John Kerry, seems to have beaten the prime minister to at least one element of the resettlement announcement.
Earlier today on Sky News the secretary was questioned in New Zealand about the deal. He confirmed to reporters that the US would consider referrals from UNHCR.
Kerry says US/Aust deal in works: “we have agreed to consider referrals from UNHCR on refugees now residing in Nauru + PNG” (@jmodoh)
10.57pm GMT
The Australian government has adopted a policy of mandatory offshore detention for asylum seekers who seek to arrive by boat to Australia.
This policy has seen large numbers of asylum seekers held in offshore detention facilities on Manus Island and Nauru.
10.21pm GMT
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the Australian government’s imminent announcement of a resettlement deal for refugees on Manus Island and Nauru.
The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is expected to announce the details of the major resettlement deal at 11.00am AEST.
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