NZ privately rejects asylum seekers despite PM’s public offer
New Zealand has privately rejected resettling asylum seekers from Manus Island, contradicting its Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s public offer to resettle the men.
QLD Politics
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD Politics. Followed categories will be added to My News.
NEW Zealand has privately rejected resettling asylum seekers from Manus Island, contradicting its Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s public offer to resettle the men.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will hold routine bilateral talks with Ms Ardern in Auckland today as concerns deepen in Australia over the serious pending charges and accusations levelled at some asylum seekers on Manus Island.
New Zealand offer to house Manus Island asylum seekers fuels smuggle trade, intelligence sources
Mayo candidate Rebekha Sharkie asks Federal Government to send Manus Island refugees to New Zealand
Peter Dutton won’t allow New Zealand asylum seeker solution
There are now almost 60 asylum seekers — mostly from Iran, Pakistan and Iraq — on Manus Island, who have been confirmed as having adverse character findings.
Of those, one is an ISIS sympathiser and belongs to a social media group that posts photos of shootings and dead bodies, and another has been accused of sexual assault.
There are 582 asylum seekers on Manus Island.
The Courier-Mail understands that, when Malcolm Turnbull was prime minister, senior New Zealand departmental officials privately told Australian prime minister and cabinet officials that New Zealand was not open to resettling single asylum seeker men on Manus Island.
It came as Ms Ardern publicly stated New Zealand’s door was open for the asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru.
A spokesman from Prime Minister and Cabinet said: “It would be inappropriate for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to comment on the Australian Government’s ongoing engagement with partner countries.”
Mr Morrison’s office also refused to comment on private conversations between Australia and New Zealand.
“The Coalition Government has removed every child from Nauru or set them on a clear path to the United States,” a spokeswoman for Mr Morrison said.
“The Prime Minister is focused on maintaining the integrity of our borders, and ensuring boat arrivals don’t start again.”
Ms Ardern’s office was given 48 hours to comment about whether NZ officials conveyed the private advice to their Australian counterparts, but it did not respond at time of print.
It comes as Attorney-General Christian Porter warned that asylum seekers evacuated from Manus Island and Nauru might never be able to be forced to return to offshore processing because of Labor’s “rushed” laws.
Mr Morrison said he would rescind the laws if he won the next election. It is likely the Government would need to introduce retrospective laws to be able to force the asylum seekers back to Manus Island or Nauru after they had treatment.
CASE STUDIES
Case 1: Reported abusive and aggressive behaviour and has had a court matter in relation to sexual assault. Is known to have supported images on social media of weaponry.
Case 2: Apparent support for violent extremism. Social media presence includes objectionable material, including violent and graphic extremist imagery. (He is a member of groups on social media that have posted about ISIS propaganda, photos of shootings and deceased bodies).
$135m health bungle: Minister’s apology to affected businesses
Health Minister Steven Miles has apologised to businesses that have suffered delays because of the new Queensland Health payment system.
Hundreds of staff underpaid at Queensland utility
A Queensland Government-owned utility corporation has underpaid hundreds of its senior staff for more than a decade in a bungle that could have ripped off up to a quarter of its workforce.