Offshore/Regional processing and detention

PHOTOS: Sydney protest against ALP-Liberal plan to revive refugee detention camps in Nauru and PNG


Petty politicking sinks offshore detention, Malaysia swap plan

Petty politicking over whether refugees should be illegally deported to Malaysia or to Nauru forced the Australian government to abandon its policy of “offshore processing” of refugees on October 13. Since the “Tampa election” in 2001, competition between the two main parties over who can most mistreat the small number of refugees arriving in Australia by boat has been at the centre of Australian electoral politics.

Timorese activists condemn Australian government's new 'racist' refugee policy

In a July 7, press conference in Dili, Luta Hamutuk a prominent civil society activist group in Timor Leste condemned the new Australian policy on refugees as "racist".

Action outside Treasury Building

Protests meet Gillard's asylumn seeker policies and rhetoric

In a July 6 speech to the Lowy Institute Gillard announced that her government was pursuing a regional agreement for offshore processing of "unauthorised arrivals".