20 February 2016•Update: 20 February 2016
MELBOURNE, Australia
Australia’s foreign minister has stressed that more time is needed in reported negotiations with six other countries over the possible resettlement of asylum seekers held at offshore detention centers, according to local media Saturday.
The comments came after the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Australia is discussing with Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines the possibility of them taking in some of the hundreds of people kept on the Pacific islands of Nauru and Manus.
The newspaper quoted unnamed officials as saying that three other countries were involved in less advanced talks, and that a potential deal with any was a matter of “months, not weeks".
Under Australia’s hardline immigration policy, asylum seekers who set out for the country by sea are held at offshore processing centers.
The issue has drawn increased attention since the High Court ruled in favor of the policy earlier this month, resulting in 267 asylum seekers – including 91 children, 37 of them babies born in Australia – facing imminent deportation to Nauru, where conditions have been described as appalling by rights advocates.
Australia’s Julie Bishop has responded to Friday’s report by saying that it was "early days" for the negotiations, news broadcaster ABC reported Saturday.
"Some of them have domestic issues, like elections," she said in a statement.
The Philippines is set to go to the polls for its general election on May 9, while Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been embroiled in a corruption scandal over an alleged $681 million “political donation” from Saudi Arabia.
According to figures from Australia’s immigration department, a total of 1,459 people were held at the country’s facilities in Nauru and Manus Island in January.
Federal Industry Minister Christopher Pyne has also responded to Friday’s report by describing it as “a very speculative story”.
He told Sky News, “but I guess it leads me to say that at least we are in a position now where we have strong, secure borders".
"Labor is essentially supporting that policy, and we've got the number of children in detention down to less than 80, it was 2,000 when you [Labor] were in government," he added.
The report comes at a time when New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has been reiterating that an offer made in 2013 to resettle 150 verified refugees per year from the processing centers “remains on the table".
His Australian counterpart, Malcolm Turnbull, addressed the offer after an annual meeting Friday by expressing appreciation but warning against moves that could give "marketing opportunities" to people smugglers.
Australia’s government has shown a preference for striking deals with more impoverished nations in its attempts to discourage people from seeking asylum on its shores.
In 2014, the Australian and Cambodian governments had signed a transfer deal worth AU$55 million (originally around $40 million) to resettle refugees held on Nauru, but only six people have taken up the offer, with one going back to Myanmar after just a few months.
