(Bloomberg) — Australia defended an agreement allowing for the deportation of hundreds of formerly detained immigrants to the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru, following criticism from refugee organizations.
The agreement was signed on Friday during a visit to the island by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and involves payments to Nauru for resettlements, according to an official statement that didn’t disclose the amounts.
Local media reported Australia will pay A$408 million ($267 million) upfront and a further A$70 million each year for the resettlement of more than 350 people known as the NZYQ cohort. These are people who broke Australian laws and lost the right to stay in the country, according to the Labor administration.
Speaking on Sky News Australia on Sunday, Environment Minister Murray Watt said “a relatively small cohort” of people would be impacted. “Australia has every right to remove people who have no right to be here,” he added.
The people had previously been indefinitely detained until a court ruling rejected the practice, creating a furor over their release into the community that put pressure on the government to respond. Refugee advocates such as the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre criticized the prospect of “mass deportations” as well as the cost of the Nauru pact.
“This deal is discriminatory, disgraceful and dangerous,” said Jana Favero, deputy chief executive officer of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.
One of the world’s smallest nations, Nauru has a population of about 13,000, a land area of 21 square kilometers (8 square miles) and gross domestic product of $160 million — less than the planned upfront payment.
Burke signed the memorandum of understanding with Nauru’s President David Adeang. Last year, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese inked a treaty with the Pacific nation that gives Canberra a veto over security and infrastructure partners, as Australia vies with China for regional influence.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
About the Author
