Weekly media round-up No. 40

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison released a report investigating the events leading up to and death of Iranian asylum seeker, Reza Barati. The report found that the assault was committed by a PNG national working for the Salvation Army. The minister expressed regret that recommended improvements to security arrangements from November 2013 had not been implemented at the time of the death. PNG police conducting a parallel investigation described the report as a cover up.

After receiving an allocation in the recent federal budget, core funding of $140,000 for the Refugee Council of Australia was cut, a return to the funding model under the Howard Government. The immigration minister has said he was not aware that the Council received government funding until after the release of the budget.

In response to enquiries from Labor Senator Joe Ludwig, departmental documents revealed that together, the departments of Immigration and Border Protection and Australian Customs spent over $8 million and $9.2 million in salaries alone. The government has announced 4000 extra places under the Special Humanitarian Program over the next five years.

The minister has been involved in negotiations with the Cambodian government to arrange permanent resettlement for refugees currently detained in Nauru. The plan has been criticised by international groups concerned with Cambodia’s human rights record. 

Weekly media round-up No. 39

More than 20 refugees became the first people released on Nauru and Manus Island under the Coalition Government’s policy whereby no asylum seekers arriving by boat can be resettled in Australia. Thirteen people left the detention centre on Nauru, while a further 11 were resettled on Manus Island on temporary visas, including with the right to work. Seven asylum seekers had their claim for refugee status rejected and remain in detention.

The federal government announced plans to introduce legislation during Parliament’s winter session to speed up the processing of refugee claims from nearly 24,000 asylum seekers who have arrived by boat. The Australian reported the aim of the reforms would be to lower the success rate of applications for refugee status. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said ‘the Coalition will not resile from our clear policy position and permanent visas will not be given to illegal maritime ­arrivals on our watch’.

A court in Perth released a photo of what conditions were like aboard a boat carrying asylum seekers, which sank in June 2012, causing 102 of the 210 passengers to drown. Two men are charged with assisting a group of five or more unlawful non-citizens into Australia in a way that gave rise to danger of death or serious injury. The court heard the boat was overcrowded and carrying too few life jackets when it left Indonesia.

A group of 50 asylum seekers were discovered and prevented from attempting to travel from Indonesia to New Zealand by boat. The distance to Christmas Island is 440 kilometres, but with Australia now refusing to resettle any asylum seekers arriving by boat, Fairfax Media reported the group were willing to pay up to $7000 each to a smuggler for the 8000 kilometre journey to New Zealand. 

Weekly media round-up No. 38

The 2014 Federal Budget released on 13 May contained a number of measures regarding asylum seekers.

The budget claimed an expected cost of $563.1 million in support services over the next five years for asylum seekers currently being processed in Australia. There is an additional $149.9 million over five years to process a backlog of claims and removals, and $27.3 million over two years for unaccompanied minors who will receive extra supervision.

The budget confirmed a new agency called Australian Border Force will operate from July 2015, merging Customs and Border Protection and border functions of the immigration department. The set up cost will be $53.6 million, and the force will receive a $480.5 million package to run.

The budget revealed that Indonesia will receive $86.6 million over three years as part of a regional corporation agreement to manage asylum seekers there. Christmas Island will receive infrastructure upgrades, extra health staff, and child asylum seekers will get better access to full time schooling. Malaysia will receive two retired Bay Class boats from 2015 to assist them in combatting people smuggling. General Angus Campbell warned that stopping asylum seeker boats entirely will take “years, not months, of collective regional effort”.

According to the The Australian, the success of Operation Sovereign Borders means $2.5 billion over five years will be saved. There will be savings of $283 million over four years through closing 10 detention centres and $38.4 million through ending the displaced persons program. There will be savings of $20.2 million over four years from the amalgamation of the Migration Review Tribunal, Refugee Review Tribunal and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

The Guardian published information from a G4S submission to the upcoming Senate inquiry into the unrest on Manus Island, including a timeline and account of the events leading to the unrest. As part of preliminary investigations by PNG authorities, The Australian revealed that 450 of the 1200 asylum seekers on Manus Island have been found to be genuine refugees. So far, 450 have not qualified and will be removed.

Fairfax published a statement from a spokesperson for immigration minister Scott Morrison that there were no psychologists on Manus Island, despite Mr Morrison having claiming there were in January 2014. A former case worker on Manus Island called for medical attention for a mentally ill detainee but was ignored.

The Senate passed an amendment to the Migration Act that excludes people who have been given adverse security assessments by ASIO from receiving protection visas. Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young is launching a motion of disallowance in the Senate to remove a code of behaviour in bridging visas that says asylum seekers over 18 must behave appropriately while in the Australian community or their visa will be cancelled. 

Weekly media round-up No. 37

The governor of Port Moresby published an open letter expressing “grave concern” at the conditions on Manus Island. PNG immigration minister, Rimbink Pato, said that a refugee quota could be imposed, limiting the number of refugees resettled.

Fairfax published graphic images of detainees injured in the February riots on Manus Island. The Australian High Court heard arguments that the centre is constitutionally invalid and the Australian Government has no power to send asylum seekers to PNG. The case is ongoing.

Indonesian officials claimed the Australian navy added three asylum seekers to a boat turned back to Indonesia on 4 May. Federal police may be asked to investigate the incident, which may have breached Australian and international law. The Australian Government refused to comment on the incident.

Dozens of asylum seekers died when a boat sank off the coast of Libya. Meanwhile, Italy appealed for European Union support as 1200 asylum seekers land in Sicily. 

Weekly media roundup No. 36

Lawyers representing witnesses to the death of Reza Barati applied to the High Court of Australia for Manus Island detainees to be transported back to Australia, owing to fears for their safety. Lawyers for the detainees also lodged a habeus corpus writ, which claims gross human rights violations, including crimes against humanity, have been perpetrated by Immigration Minister Scott Morrison and the Australian and Papua New Guinean governments.

A guard’s account of the Manus Island violence on 17 February, submitted to the Senate inquiry into the events, included a statement that Reza Barati was struck over the head with a ‘lump of wood’. A recent Four Corners story raised significant concerns around the Manus Island operation.

Cambodia’s secretary of the state at the foreign ministry, Ouch Borith, indicated that the country had agreed ‘in principle’ to a deal proposed by the Australian Government to process and resettle asylum seekers in Cambodia.  President of the Cambodian Association of Australia, Youhorn Chea, condemned the government’s move, stressing that the nation was still coming to terms with its own human rights struggles.

The Guardian reported that Prime Minister Tony Abbott postponed a scheduled trip to Indonesia next week due to an asylum seeker operation north of Australia. A document leaked to The Guardian from the Nauruan government contained details of a plan to limit the resettlement of refugees in Nauru to a maximum of five years.

The Sri Lankan navy arrested 54 asylum seekers, including 13 children, when a fishing trawler headed for Australia was detected off the nation’s northeastern coast.

Recent figures released by the Immigration Department indicate the average time asylum seekers spend in Australian onshore detention is 275 days, a length that far exceeds international standards.  The Australian Human Rights Commission is concerned that the length of detention is used as a deterrent to asylum seekers.  

Performance artist Phuong Ngo began a 10-day art installation in Melbourne, during which he plans to fold 10,000 paper boats whilst consuming the same food provisions as his family on their journey to Australia in 1982. 

Weekly media round-up No. 35

Fairfax media reported that Papua New Guinean nationals employed as security guards entered the Manus Island detention centre the day before Reza Berati’s death in February, allegedly enraged by offensive chants from asylum seekers within the centre.

The UN said that Nauru is “breaching its international obligations” as it has failed to meet a February deadline set by the Committee Against Torture to establish an independent body to regularly inspect the detention centre. An unexploded wartime bomb was discovered at the centre, which detains children, pregnant women and families. Guardian Australia published a letter from Save the Children with allegations of “mistreatment and inappropriate behaviour” by guards employed by Wilson Security on Nauru.

At a UNHCR workshop on asylum seekers in Jakarta, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa called on the region to “share – not shift – responsibility” on asylum seekers, saying the issue “defies national solutions”.

UNHCR regional coordinator James Lynch said Australia’s policy of returning boats to Indonesia or ending boat arrivals to PNG or Nauru is against the Refugees Convention. Mr Lynch said Australia has not responded to questions about boat arrivals and questioned whether Australia was prepared to “honour [its] obligations”. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison dismissed suggestions Australia was breaching international law. He said the “policy is working” and the boats are stopping. Mr Morrison announced that no boats had reached Australia for over four months.

There is ongoing speculation on whether Australia will make a deal with Cambodia to resettle asylum seekers. In an interview with Fairfax, Mr Morrison said the government was encouraging countries that were willing to offer resettlement places to expand "permanent solutions" for people seeking asylum.

A federal circuit court judge reserved his decision on whether a case involving a group of asylum seekers who were named in the Immigration Department’s data-breach in February will continue to a full hearing. He said that the review process is still being developed and it is “premature for the asylum seekers to be seeking injunctions and declarations.”

Weekly media round-up No. 34

Twenty-six families with children born in detention received written assurance from the Immigration Department that neither they nor their children would be sent to offshore detention centres on either Nauru or Manus Island until a case on their legal status is resolved.

The Royal Australian Navy announced that one commanding officer will be removed from command and another administratively sanctioned due to a series of incursions into Indonesian waters in December and January. The announcement came on the same day that Guardian Australia revealed one of the Australian customs vessels went further into Indonesian waters than had previously been disclosed, within 27 kilometres of the Indonesian shore.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ representative in Indonesia, Manuel Jordao, said the number of asylum seekers registering in Indonesia has fallen from around 100 a day to 100 a week since December. Mr Jordao said it was too soon to say whether the decrease was due to the Australian Government’s policy Operation Sovereign Borders, under which no one arriving in Australia by boat is eligible for resettlement in Australia.

Indonesia’s top military commander said Australia had agreed to stop turning back boats to Indonesia, but Immigration Minister Scott Morrison contradicted this, saying that the government’s policy had not changed. Military Commander General Moeldoko made the comments after speaking with Australia’s defence chief, David Hurley. However, Mr Morrison told Fairfax Media that details of the conversation had been “misreported”. Indonesia and Australia are expected to discuss the issue further at the Bali Process this week.

Weekly media round-up No. 33

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison this week defended a possible arrangement with Cambodia to resettle asylum seekers to Australia. His visit to Phnom Penh follows a trip by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop earlier this year.

Asylum seekers will be able to settle temporarily in Nauru if found to be refugees with 60 per cent of claims for refuges status expected to be finalised within a month. Meanwhile, Australian Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs, head of the Australian Human rights Commission, has urged the Abbott Government to release children from detention. She also accused the government of orchestrating the denial of UN inspectors access to offshore processing centres on Nauru and Manus Island. Scott Morrison has rejected the claim.

The release of Bob’s Carr’s autobiography reveals his support for Kevin Rudd’s PNG solution, as well as his efforts to convince Julia Gillard to support Tony Abbott’s asylum policies upon entering federal parliament in 2012. Former Labor frontbencher Melissa Parke has urged the Opposition to soften its asylum policy following a poor result in the Western Australian upper house election re-run.

The Federal Court found that a refugee who spat at a guard and damaged property was denied procedural fairness in having his refugee status refused. A Sri Lankan asylum seeker has self-immolated and is fighting for his life in a Sydney hospital.

Charges against protesters that held a prayer vigil in the Sydney offices of Immigration Minister Scott Morrison have been dropped. Walk for Justice for Refugees rallies were held around the country on Palm Sunday.

Weekly media round-up No. 32

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison met with Cambodia’s Interior Minister Sar Kheng this week to discuss the possibility of resettling asylum seekers in Cambodia. The move was criticised by a member of the Cambodian Opposition party, Son Chhay, who said that the country should not be seen as a “dumping ground.”

The majority of asylum seekers on Manus Island have been interviewed for refugee status, with both the Australian and Papua New Guinean governments confirming that all those determined to be refugees will be resettled in PNG. An Iranian asylum seeker being assessed at the Manus Island detention centre is seeking to challenge Australia’s offshore processing policy before the High Court.

Meanwhile, the Abbott Government refused to release a report concerning details of the inquiry into the death of Reza Barati on Manus Island. The Australian Federal Police also declined to assist the interviewing of witnesses in relation to the death.

Asylum seekers at the Villawood detention centre in Sydney failed in a last minute legal bid to thwart an impending relocation to the Kimberley region of Western Australia. A group of more than 60 people gathered at Villawood to protest the transfer.

A report containing details of an internal review of Australian boat incursions into Indonesian waters was met with scrutiny by the Opposition and the Greens.  The report was censured for its lack of detail around the incidents that occurred under Operation Sovereign Borders.

Médecins Sans Frontières released a report detailing the harsh conditions facing asylum seekers living in detention in Greece.

Weekly media round-up No. 31

29 March marked 100 days since an asylum seeker boat reached Australia. An estimated eight boats have been turned back to Indonesia in that time.

The Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee found it may not be possible for boats to be turned around safely without the risk of Australian naval vessels crossing into Indonesian waters. The Committee reported on six incursions into Indonesian waters between December 1 and January 20.

ABC’s 7.30 aired new witness statements alleging Australian personnel purposely inflicted burns on the hands of three men on an asylum-seeking boat in January. The Australian Government maintained the claims are baseless and attacked the ABC’s ‘recycling’ of the story.

Children held in detention in Australia described conditions as ‘hell’. The Australian Human Rights Commission is conducting the inquiry into children in immigration detention in Australia. The Commission made its first visit to children in detention on Christmas Island this week.

The UN refugee agency Asylum Trends 2013 report says there was a sharp rise in asylum claims in 44 industrialised countries last year, driven primarily by the crisis in Syria. According to UNHCR, 612,700 people applied for asylum in North America, Europe, East Asia and the Pacific last year - the highest total for any year since 2001. UNHCR reported (p 6) an increase of 54 per cent (24,300) in asylum applications in Australia compared to 2012 (15,800).

According to the European Union, nearly half a million people sought asylum in Europe last year, the most in two decades. The largest number came from Syria. In total, 434,160 people sought protection in the EU's 28 member states in 2013, an increase of nearly 30 per cent from 2012 when there were 335,000 applications.

Weekly media round-up No. 30

This week Papua New Guinea launched an inquiry into the violence and alleged human rights violations at the Manus Island detention centre last month, to be assisted by Amnesty International. Justice David Cannings is leading the investigation, which is separate to a constitutional challenge to the centre mounted by PNG opposition leader, Belden Namah.

The PNG Supreme Court temporarily halted the inquiry due to the allegation of Mr Cannings’ bias, however Mr Canning launched a second inquiry, appointing Australian lawyer Jay Williams to take evidence from detainees. There is speculation this inquiry could also be shut down by the PNG government, because Mr Williams is not registered to practice in PNG. The Age reported that the Australian Government was consulted and backed the decision of the PNG government to shut down a human rights inquiry.

PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill met with the Abbott Government and said PNG would not be able to resettle all refugees on Manus Island. Both leaders agreed most people in the centre are not  “genuine refugees”. During an inspection of the centre asylum seekers shouted to visiting journalists that Reza Barati had been thrown off a balcony.

More reports have been issued about conditions on Manus Island: an asylum seeker told a PNG court about eating worm-infested bread and PNG police were shown in a video using dogs in an alleged attack on an unarmed man. Three suicide attempts have been reported. ABC’s 7.30 showed footage taken on board of asylum seekers intercepted at sea, including threats to Navy officers.  Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the report further justifies the government’s tough border policies.

Mr Morrison announced it has been 89 days since a successful people smuggling venture arrived in Australia. Indonesian immigration officials say they stopped 1000 asylum seekers last year.

Legal action following the breach of asylum seekers’ personal information began. The Guardian reported that if their cases fail, these asylum seekers would pay the legal costs of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

In 2013 the Immigration Department required asylum seekers to leave school at the age of eighteen. From November the Coalition reversed the policy, allowing teenagers to complete schooling after they turned eighteen.

Weekly media round-up No. 29

A report from the Human Rights Law Centre criticised Australia’s close cooperation with Sri Lanka, saying it had jeopardised the safety of asylum seekers fleeing that country. The Australian government denies that anyone sent back to Sri Lanka has been harmed, though the report found (p 6) at least one man returned had been “severely tortured”.

 The Immigration Department apologised to thousands of asylum seekers for releasing their personal information online. Department secretary Martin Bowles wrote a letter stating the department will "assess any implications for you personally as part of its normal process". Dozens of asylum seekers are believed to be planning court action over the breach, which saw the full names, nationalities and dates of birth of almost 10,000 asylum seekers made available on a government website.

Fairfax Media reported police on Manus Island are close to charging several men with the murder of Reza Barati. Some suspects are believed to still be working at the facility.

The chief justice of Nauru, Australian citizen Geoffrey Eames QC, resigned saying he “could not be assured that the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary would be respected”. Eames had his visa cancelled earlier this year when he issued an injunction to prevent the government deporting the country’s only magistrate. The Department of Foreign Affairs said the episode gave “rise to concerns about the rule of law in Nauru and Nauru’s reputation internationally”. Sixteen asylum seekers are awaiting trial in Nauru over a July 2013 riot on the island, where the Australian government has been sending asylum seekers since 2012.

Defending the treatment of asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru in an interview with the BBC, Australia’s foreign minister Julie Bishop wrongly stated that those found to be refugees may later be settled in Australia, that the claims of those in the centres are being processed (only one positive determination has been made on Nauru), and that children in detention go to school.

A former employee of the Salvation Army published an account of life inside the Nauru detention centre. Mark Isaacs relates the haphazard selection process for camp staff and their lack of training, as well as the asylum seekers he befriended who went on to self-harm.

Weekly media round-up No. 28

Immigration minister Scott Morrison announced monthly ministerial meetings between Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) to coordinate the inquiry into the violence on Manus Island and the resettlement arrangements of asylum seekers

Several accounts were published of the February violence on Manus Island, including from an employee of the G4S security firm and from an asylum seeker inside the detention centre. The Guardian also published images that appear to show the aftermath of the unrest. Former Howard Government immigration minister Amanda Vanstone criticised the media for its coverage of how Mr Morrison handled the death of Reza Berati.

The Senate voted for an inquiry into the Manus Island violence. A spokesman for PNG’s Prime Minister said asylum seekers and workers from the detention centre should be flown to Australia to give evidence. The inquiry is in addition to the Immigration Department’s own inquiry.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called for Australia to review its treatment of asylum seekers and its agreement with PNG, to ensure its resettlement arrangements are ‘in accordance with international law’.

The Australian Human Rights Commission visited Christmas Island as part of inquiry into children in immigration detention. The Uniting Church offered to take in orphaned asylum seeker children, however this was dismissed by Mr Morrison.

The Federal Government re-introduced a freeze on granting protection visas to asylum seekers who arrive by boat, saying the freeze would allow them to issue visas to refugees from camps.

The High Court heard a challenge to a regulation denying permanent protection to those who arrive without visas. The challenge comes on behalf of a 15-year-old Ethiopian boy who entered Australia as a stowaway on a ship last year.

Following the withdrawal of ten artists from the festival, the Biennale of Sydney cut ties with Transfield Services, a service provider on Nauru and Manus Island. 

Weekly media round-up No. 27

The Manus Island riot triggered significant social and political debate in Australia. Footage released depicts chaotic scenes at the temporary hospital established to treat those injured. Preliminary reports found Iranian asylum seeker Reza Berati died from multiple head injuries, possibly inflicted by a heavy object.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison travelled to Papua New Guinea to discuss the Manus Island riot. Both the Australian and Papua New Guinean governments reiterated their intention to maintain the detention facility. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd also defended the policy in a speech given at Oxford University.

Frustration regarding the secrecy of Operation Sovereign Borders led to Labor Senator Stephen Conroy accusing military commander Angus Campbell of a ‘political cover-up’ during a Senate Estimates hearing. A group of asylum seekers claimed that the Australian navy had blown up their vessel after transferring them to a naval lifeboat for return to Indonesia.

A new website inviting Australians to apologise for the government’s treatment of asylum seekers received national and international coverage. Five artists withdrew from the upcoming Sydney Biennale due to the festival being sponsored by Transfield, a company contracted to provide services at the Manus Island and Nauru detention facilities.

Weekly media round-up No. 26

On the weekend of 15-16 February, a riot broke out at the immigration detention centre on Manus Island. Twenty-three year old asylum seeker, Reza Berati, died and 77 others were injured. Thirty-five asylum seekers fled the centre.

On 18 February, immigration minister Scott Morrison said the violence occurred outside the camp perimeter. The minister emphasised the limited protection Australia could offer asylum seekers who had escaped the compound. Contractor G4S said asylum seekers breached the perimeter and the matter became a local law enforcement issue. The world refugee agency, UNCHR, expressed its concern in a statement. The minister announced a departmental inquiry into the riot.

On 22 February, the minister released a statement saying the events took place inside the compound, contradicting his statement five days earlier. PNG police fired shots twice during the event. The minister is under pressure to resign or be sacked due to his handling of the disturbance. Prime Minister Tony Abbott supported the minister, saying ‘[y]ou don’t want a wimp running border protection.’

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection accidentally published the personal information of 10,000 asylum seekers online. The minister for immigration ordered a review into the breach.

Amnesty International encouraged Australia to commit to accepting more than the stated figure of 500 Syrian refugees and expressed concern that Australia is placing Syrians on Manus Island.

Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, requested Cambodia accept asylum seekers. Her counterpart, Hor Nam Hong, said his country would seriously consider the request. Meanwhile, China criticised Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers, questioning the legality of return arrangements of refugees made by Australia.

Weekly media round-up No. 25

At 15 February 2014, there had been no asylum seeker boat arrivals in the previous 57 days.

A submission to a Senate Committee by the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce opposed a Bill granting discretionary power to the Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to determine approvals for Complementary Protection visas. According to the group, this legislation allows the minister to “play God”.

Minister Morrison dismissed concerns that differing accounts of alleged mistreatment of asylum seeker by Navy personnel may harm Australia-Indonesia relations. The minister played down Indonesia’s concern over the use of lifeboats to return asylum seekers that have entered Australia’s territorial zone. In spite of this tension, Indonesia’s policy to deny Iranians visas on arrival remains in place, which has seen a decrease over the past year in the number of Iranians attempting to enter Australia via the Indonesian archipelago.

In increasing efforts to assess the impact of the government’s immigration policies on public opinion, the Immigration Department commissioned Cubit Media Research to deliver “media positioning analysis”. In response to criticism of contracts worth $4.3m, a department spokesperson said the contracts were first approved and funded by the former Labor government. Professor Andre Markus argued refugee advocates are out of touch with public opinion on asylum seekers.

An Indian student committed suicide at a Maribyrnong immigration detention centre, after he was detained for overstaying his student visa.

Weekly media round-up No. 24

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison introduced a new ‘Temporary Humanitarian Concern’ visa, which applies similar conditions to the now defunct temporary protection visa. Asylum seekers cannot apply for a permanent protection visa if they choose to accept an invitation to obtain a temporary one.

Mr Morrison refused to investigate claims that Australian navy personnel inflicted burns on asylum seekers by forcing them to place their hands on hot pipes.  The refusal comes after criticism of the ABC for airing unproven statements and the ABC’s subsequent testimony that the story could have been “more precise.”

 Prime Minister Tony Abbott hailed Operation Sovereign Borders a success, stating that an asylum seeker boat has not reached Australian shores in 50 days. The Australian government turned back its sixth asylum boat to Indonesia since the policy was introduced in December 2013. A video of the tow-back was received from Indonesian sources.

16 asylum seekers in Nauru charged with rioting in Nauru’s detention centre will have to wait to have their cases heard, following the sacking and deportation of the island nation’s only magistrate, Australian Peter Law.

 An illustrated representation of a former Serco employee’s experiences as a guard in an Australian detention centre was published in the Global Mail.

Weekly media round-up No. 23

Former Royal Australian Navy Officer has described the Federal Government’s stop the boats policy as “morally corrupt and totally indefensible”, adding that last weeks reports of alleged mistreatment of asylum seekers is causing growing confusion and anger in Navy ranks. The ABC reports around that incident have elicited a strong response from Prime Minister Abbot, who suggested the national broadcaster was being unpatriotic in its reports of asylum seekers’ allegations against officials. The ABC have responded in an email to staff reinforcing the their commitment to reporting just the facts.

A spokesman for the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection claims that plans to deny working rights to “illegal maritime arrivals” will provide a disincentive for people smugglers to “put people on boats for the dangerous journey to Australia”. The Minister appeared on Friday before a Senate committee examining the Government's reliance on public interest immunity to deny the upper house access to documents relating to Operation Sovereign Borders. Under intense questioning from Senators Ludwig, Hansen-Young and Carr, Minister Morrison refused to release any of the requested documents on the basis that they would harm the national interest.

Nauru has raised the cost of business visas from $400 to $6000 to raise money through hosting Australia’s refugee processing centre. Meanwhile, three security guards working on Manus Island have lost their jobs following an incident on Facebook where they ridiculed asylum seekers for swallowing nail clippers.

In international news, Somali residents of the Dadaab Refugee Camp have begun to be repatriated.

Weekly media round-up No. 22

The Australia-Indonesia bilateral relationship remains under pressure, amid concerns the Abbott Government is failing to respect the relationship. The policy of “tow-backs” of asylum seeker boats into Indonesian sovereign territory is a breach of international law.

A group of African asylum seekers claimed Australian navy personnel inflicted burns by making them hold hot parts of their boat's engine when returning to Indonesia. Despite video images supporting the claims, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison rejected this claim, saying he would not investigate the incident.

Still in the region, the parliament of Niue refused a proposal to join Nauru and Manus Island in housing asylum seekers to Australia.

Human Rights Watch's World Report was launched, critical of Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers in harsh and unsatisfactory conditions. The report claims Australia is damaging its reputation by undercutting refugee protections.

UNHCR reported that there are now 890,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon and are appealing for 30,000 to be resettled immediately. Amnesty International called on Australia to accept more refugees from Syria. Australia has accepted 500 Syrian refugees. Other nations have accepted greater numbers, such as Sweden, which has accepted 14,000 Syrian refugees.

Australia signed the Refugee Convention 60 years ago this week. The Menzies government acceded on January 22, 1954.

Weekly media round-up No.21

The Australian Government offered an apology after a naval vessel entered Indonesian waters during the week. The Indonesian Government responded by increasing patrols of its sea borders and demanding the immediate cessation of Operation Sovereign Borders.

The Guardian reported that a group of asylum seekers were forced back to Indonesia in a lifeboat after being intercepted by the Australian navy near Christmas Island.

The Government has announced the closure of four detention centres on the Australian mainland.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison rejected a claim by Fairfax media an Australian naval vessel fired warning shots at an asylum seeker boat.

The UN warned that the ‘seeds of a genocide’ were present after refugees fleeing the Central African Republic spoke about murderous attacks perpetrated by Christians against Muslims.

Food aid arrived at a Syrian refugee camp for the first time in four months following reports that dozens of refugees had died of starvation at the camp since October. There are an estimated 6.5 million internally displaced people in Syria.