Manus detainees face uncertain future

By Catherine Hoffman
New Times Editor & Communications Officer

Posted Apr 28, 2016 in News

On Tuesday 26 April, Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court ruled that Australia’s detention of asylum seekers on Manus Island was illegal. Already the action has drawn responses from leaders in Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG).

UnitingJustice National Director Rev Elenie Poulos has added her voice to those calling for the immediate transfer of all asylum seekers on Manus Island to Australia.

Approximately 850 asylum seekers are currently being detained on Manus Island. The PNG Supreme Court has stated that keeping detainees in the Manus Island centre is unconstitutional as it deprives people of their personal liberty.

Elenie is urging the Australian Government to take the opportunity to end its “brutal and immoral” policy of offshore detention.

“The latest news from PNG confirms that this policy is not only unjust and inhumane but unsustainable,” she says. “The centres, on both Manus and Nauru, must be closed. People must be brought here to Australia to have their protection claims processed while they live in the community.”

A Labor government led by Kevin Rudd re-established off-shore processing on Manus Island in July 2013. Since that time, the detention centre has reportedly been the site of riots, assault and violence.

“Barely a week goes by without new evidence of the damage we are doing to people [in detention],” says Elenie.

“The tragic and unnecessary death of Hamid Khazaei, highlighted on ABC TV’s Four Corners program this week; desperate detainees on Nauru attempting suicide; riots, physical and sexual assaults – report after report reinforces the devastating effect of these policies on people’s lives.”

The Uniting Church in Australia has been calling for the closure of Australian immigration detention facilities on Nauru and Manus Island since their establishment.

Last year, the Church’s 14^th Assembly adopted a new policy on asylum seekers and refugees, “Shelter from the Storm”, which outlines an alternative approach to offshore detention.

“Australia has to work more constructively with countries in our region to develop a genuine multilateral protection solution,” says Elenie.

“The PNG Supreme Court decision is a significant opportunity for Australia to draw a line under our national shame and move forward towards a more compassionate framework to deal with the global issue of the movement of people.”

Adrian Nippress, the Transforming Justice Coordinator for the Uniting Church SA, has added his voice to Elenie’s, calling for asylum seekers to be brought to Australia.

“The decision by the PNG Supreme Court gives the Australian Government an opportunity to reverse its policy of off-shore detention for people seeking asylum in safe communities like Australia,” he says. 

“This would be consistent with the position the Uniting Church has pursued over many years, and is reflective of the Bible’s instruction to us from the book of Isaiah that  “You (Lord) have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat’ [Isaiah 25:4].”

Despite mounting calls for Manus’ closure, Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton does not believe this needs to happen immediately. According to several news sources, Minister Dutton has claimed the Australian Government is not bound by the court’s ruling and that the men being detained at Manus are not Australia’s responsibility.

On Thursday 28 April, Minister Dutton expressed his belief that “there is an opportunity for the detention centre to remain in place in a different form”. He went on to say that an “open centre-style arrangement”, mirroring that of the Nauru centre, could deal with some of the concerns of the Supreme Court.

While it is unclear whether PNG would be open to another kind of centre on Manus Island, it is certain that the detention centre will not be able to continue operating in its current form.

PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill released a statement on Wednesday 27 April saying the PNG Government would “immediately ask the Australian Government to make alternative arrangements for the asylum seekers”.

Despite this, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was firm in stating that the Manus Island detainees would not come to Australia.

“That is absolutely clear and the PNG government knows that, understands that very well,” he said at a press conference on Thursday 28 April.

The Coalition has discussed a number of options for the future of the men currently being held on Manus Island. Apart from the “open centre” idea, other options discussed include sending them to Nauru or Christmas Island.

At the time of writing this article, current immigration arrangements remained in place on Manus Island.

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