Morrison shields military The government is moving to counter criticism it's politicising the military in Operation Sovereign Borders, while citing new evidence its policies are working.
Challenged on whether he considered himself answerable to the Senate, Mr Morrison replied that he considered himself "answerable to the Australian people".
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison and Operation Sovereign Borders Commander, Lieutenant General Angus Campbell defended the government's secrecy on asylum seekers on Friday. Photo: Tamara Dean
But in response to mounting pressure over the Abbott government's secrecy on the issue, he and the military head of "Operation Sovereign Borders", Lieutenant-General Angus Campbell, offered their most detailed defence yet of the way in which they have been doling out information.
Speaking at a briefing in Sydney alongside Mr Morrison, General Campbell said that giving vessel-by-vessel updates in real time was "potentially offering proof of life, proof of transit services, to people smugglers" and that delaying such information could disrupt their cash flows.
Mr Morrison also defended his decision to side-step parliamentary questions on asylum seekers, indicating that he will continue to make his weekly media briefings the main avenue for releasing information.
However he announced he would be changing the structure of the weekly briefings so that General Campbell would no longer appear alongside him for their entire duration.
Instead, General Campbell will give his own operational briefing alongside Mr Morrison, take a few questions, and then leave the "general" section of the weekly press conferences to the minister.
Mr Morrison said this was to protect the "integrity" of the ADF.
He and General Campbell rejected suggestions that the more rigorous separation of roles reflected mounting concern inside Defence that General Campbell's role was appearing to be increasingly politicised.
In relation to revelations in Fairfax Media that a decorated former Sri Lankan naval officer had been arrested on people smuggling charges, Mr Morrison denied that there was a systemic problem inside the Sri Lankan navy.
He said the arrest of Lieutenant-Commander Sanjeewa Annatugoda was evidence that " it doesn't matter who you are, when we work with our partners to track down [people smugglers] there are no exceptions, it doesn't matter in what sphere of life you are in".
He said he had been advised that "this mother was being treated the same ... apart from obviously her detention arrangements ... in terms of access to the hospital as any other Australia would" but that he had asked his department to "look at the arrangements" that were made.
While the Senate had this week voted to require Mr Morrison to reveal details about asylum seeker boats, Mr Morrison was dismissive of the order, saying ‘‘ I find it ... passing strange that the opposition would now be insisting on something they never complied with in government’’.
Mr Morrison also appeared to confirm that Australian border protection vessels were passing notes to boats carrying asylum-seekers telling them to turn around.
Asked if was aware of such a practice, he replied "of course I am aware of what we do. We make sure that people understand what our policies are, whether that's at sea, whether that's in Indonesia, whether it's in Malaysia, whether its in Pakistan , or any of these places."
Mr Morrison said there had been 707 maritime arrivals in the past eight weeks under Operation Sovereign Borders, compared with more than 3000 in the eight weeks prior to the election.
He soft-pedalled recent criticisms of Indonesia, when he'd said there was no " rhyme or reason" in Jakarta's refusal to take 60 asylum seekers rescued by an Australian vessel off Java last week.
He said this had been a "candid comment" and that "the most helpful comments ... are the ones that are not made, frankly".
And in a further attempt to mollify Jakarta, Mr Morrison praised Indonesia's role in helping to disrupt more than 1200 potential departures.
"The Indonesian government are doing a fantastic job on on-land disruption," he said.
General Campbell said three ‘‘illegal entry vessels’’ had arrived since the start of November, two at Christmas Island and one in Darwin on Monday.
He said there were currently 1157 people being held on Manus, 629 on Nauru and 2217 on Christmas Island, and that 31 ‘‘maritime arrivals’’ from Iran and Iraq had recently elected to go home ‘‘ voluntarily’’.
Going on to defend the carefully staged release of information on asylum seeker arrivals, General Campbell said people smugglers used ‘‘official announcements of vessel interceptions to persuade people that the way to Australia remains open - it does not’’.
He added ‘‘we know that passengers have been told on occasions by people smugglers not to be concerned by the poor state of their vessel, by the inexperience of their crew, by the lack of provisions on board, because their voyage will be short and they will very quickly marry up with an Australian vessel nearby. These false assurances place people’s lives at considerable risk.’’
He added that on occasion "this had led people to sabotage their own vessel".
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A huge hike in journalists' visa fees for Nauru is designed to cover up how Australian taxpayers' money is being spent on the "cruel" detention centre there, the Greens say.
A spokeswoman for Nauru's government has told the ABC the cost of a single-entry media visa is due to rise from $200 to $8,000.
Hundreds of asylum seekers who have arrived in Australian waters by boat are held at a detention centre on the island, and the Greens say the sudden price rise is an attempt to cover up what is happening there.
"This is of course part of Tony Abbott's strategy to shut down public information about how Australian taxpayer money is being spent on the cruel and harsh detention camps on Nauru," Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
"It's designed to make it difficult for the media to access Nauru and to get information back to Australia.
"This is just more fuel to the fire of Tony Abbott's media blackout strategy rather than anything to do with what is best for humanitarian needs of refugees."
The Government has batted away the claim, with a spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Scott Morrison telling the ABC: "This is a matter for the government of Nauru."
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade added: "While this is a matter for the Nauru Government, we would hope that it would reflect on the implications of any such cost increase."
Only three or four media visas were granted last year, according to Nauru's top visa officer Ernest Stephen, who spoke to current affairs website The Global Mail.
The site also reported that there was a notable increase in the issuing of media visas in the weeks after the former Labor government reintroduced offshore processing for asylum seekers in September.
A damning United Nations report into conditions on Nauru .. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-27/unhcr-report-on-nauru/5118588 , released in November, found asylum seekers lived in harsh conditions with little privacy and limited services for those suffering from trauma and the effects of torture.
But Australia's former immigration minister, Chris Bowen, said services at the detention centre were adequate.
Another attempt to 'censor the media'
Mathew Batsiua, a member of Nauru Opposition Group, says the new rules, expected to come into force this week, are a Nauru government tactic to censor the media.
"They certainly bully our local media in terms of what they can show, who they can interview, and this is another illustration of that kind of behaviour in terms of bullying media and avoiding accountability," he said.
"It is an alarming trend, and this [Nauruan] government since they've come in has slowly shown its true colours - they are not interested in true accountability; they are not interested in true transparency.
"They talk hot about it, but it's all lip-service. When it comes down to the crunch, they won't baulk in trying to censor media, and this latest policy ... is another illustration of that kind of behaviour and conduct."
He said his party was opposed to any policy that attempts to curtail any transparency of their actions.
"This hiking up of fees for journalists coming in to Nauru is a step in that direction, and we think that it's the wrong move and we're certainly opposing it."
Visitors from Commonwealth countries travelling to Nauru for holidays can be granted visas on arrival which cost $100.
The journalists fee will not be refunded if the application is unsuccessful.
----- [ for any interested in viewing comment reflecting Australian opinion and conversation on political/social/humanitarian issues (assuming most are Australia), lol, even if only to compare the tone of comments, albeit some different issues, in the United States .. the comments, as one might expect, are not particularly illuminating as to difference in tone, as yeah, there are lefts/rights (mostly wrong lately) everywhere .. grin .. see the first three there now ..
--- thefinnigans1 08 January 2014 11:18pm Recommend 28
Oh dear the coalition supporters fell gullible to the pro coalition media once again
.... forrestgrump2 thefinnigans1 09 January 2014 12:39am Recommend 9
amazing stuff from you lefties you seem to prefer the idea that its okay for people to risk their lives in leaky old fishing boats than to come safely via our refugee intake. its staggering to me that you lot seem to back people smugglers and people drowning over an orderly system! or is you hatred for anything other than socialistic doctrine matters more than life itself.
mangawarra forrestgrump2 09 January 2014 1:01am Recommend 10
Don't let the facts get in the way of your politics brother! To balance the bile and nauseous ignorance in you here's some facts. Facts available to you if you dare to develop independent thinking. Hope it's not too late! http://www.asrc.org.au/resources/mythbusters/#1375939566-1-1 ---
.. lol, you see what i mean about not much difference in some tone? .. heh, i decided to include those three because of the information in the link just above, given, note, by one tending left .. grin .. ok, live link here ..
Mythbusters and Fact sheets
In this section you'll find resources to help inform you about all the issues facing asylum seekers and the current asylum seeker debate. It provides a range of valuable resources for the general community, students, concerned citizens, the media, refugee advocates, health professionals and for people seeking asylum. .. http://www.asrc.org.au/resources/mythbusters/#1375939566-1-1
.. the content, of course, has relevance to refugee questions/ policies everywhere .. aside: i have mentioned before my personal position on the political debate in Australia re refugees is basically .. firstly, that the importance of the discussion within the political climate in Australia, in light of the very small numbers we are talking about compared to the United States and other countries, is that the importance of it here does not exactly place Australia as particularly generous nation on the refugee question .. secondly, no, i don't have a solution, just know which side of the debate i am most comfortable with .. ] -----
A boat carrying suspected illegal immigrants is photographed in Australian waters. Photograph: Ho/Reuters
Indonesian officials have sent conflicting signals over their willingness to co-operate with Canberra’s hardline policies on asylum seekers, with the country’s military chief alluding to an agreement with his Australian defence counterpart.
The mixed messages came as Australia’s prime minister, Tony Abbott, said Canberra’s relationship with Jakarta was important but his determination to stop the boats was “non-negotiable”. Abbott also used a radio interview to defend his government’s reluctance to confirm details of the policies being implemented, saying he did not want to trigger “unnecessary fights”.
The commander of the Indonesian Military, General Moeldoko, voiced his support for the Abbott government’s “justifiable” decision to turn an asylum-seeker boat back to Indonesia and said the country need not feel offended, the Jakarta Post reported .. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/01/08/tni-agrees-oz-policy-migrants.html .
“Following [our] halted military cooperation with Australia, the country’s defence force chief called me to discuss several issues, including how to deal with the boat people. He told me that Indonesia should understand if Australia drove back undocumented migrants attempting to enter the country using Indonesian boats or if any Indonesians were found aboard,” Moeldoko was reported as saying. “I have agreed. Therefore, we don’t need to feel offended.”
But the newspaper said the Office of the Co-ordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister, which oversees the boats issue, denied it was aware of any such agreement. Earlier this week, the Indonesian foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, reaffirmed his country’s opposition to the policy of “pushing back the boats” which he said was “not a solution”.
The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, said the government must answer legitimate, basic questions about the situation, arguing Abbott was treating the Australian people and media with a lack of respect.
"It isn't right that Australians need to buy the Jakarta Post to find out what the Australian government is doing," Shorten said in Melbourne.
Shorten said the immigration minister, Scott Morrison, needed to front the media to explain the government's actions on asylum seeker boats.
"When he was in opposition, you couldn't open the door without tripping over him doing a media interview. Now he's in witness protection. They've cancelled the Friday briefings. I don't think it's fair for the men and women of our defence forces, who I believe are doing a professional job, that no one in Australia knows what is going on," Shorten said.
In an interview on 2GB on Thursday, Abbott said Australia’s relationship with Indonesia was “very strong” and few countries had such strong and underlying links at an official level. He pointed to the reported discussion the Australian Defence Force chief, General David Hurley, had with his Indonesian counterpart.
“There are enormous levels of exchange and understanding between Australia and Indonesia, as evidenced by the discussion that seems to have taken place between General Moeldoko and our General Hurley not long ago,” Abbott said.
“There's a lot of co-operation and mutual understanding here, but the important thing for us is that we do stop the boats … this is a non-negotiable for us. This is for us a matter of our sovereignty.
“Now I absolutely understand Indonesia's concern for its sovereignty and I fully respect Indonesia's sovereignty. There is no way on God's earth that any Australian government, particularly a government that I lead, would in any way trespass on Indonesia's sovereignty, but when these boats keep coming illegally to our country that is a sovereignty issue for us. It is absolutely non-negotiable.
“These boats will stop. These boats must stop. And we will do whatever is necessary, consistent with our international obligations and ordinary decency, to stop the boats and that's exactly what we are doing."
Abbott dismissed suggestions he should publicise boat turnarounds to increase the deterrent effect, saying "obviously some things have changed" but he wanted to avoid "micro-detailed discussion about every last particular measure given that having that discussion just causes unnecessary fights".
The comments follow reports of Australia sending two boats back towards Indonesia – a policy that was a key plank of Abbott’s asylum-seeker policies but one that has previously raised controversy.
The ABC said it had spoken to two asylum seekers from different boats who told of Australian personnel tying ropes to their boats, towing the vessels back towards Indonesia, and misleading them. One told the ABC they were told they were being taken to Christmas Island. Claims have also emerged of asylum seekers being mishandled.
Morrison said personnel acted professionally and responsibly.
The Greens' spokeswoman on immigration, Sarah Hanson-Young, said she was concerned about the reports of asylum seekers being treated harshly during tow-back operations, but it was not the fault of the navy or Customs.
"Tony Abbott is breeding a toxic culture of hate and fear," she said.
Hanson-Young said it was "astonishing" that Abbott thought it was acceptable for Australians to find out more about his government's plans from the Indonesian military than from the prime minister and his ministers directly. She questioned whether Abbott knew what was happening on the high seas given his reference to a conversation that "seemed to have taken place" between the two countries’ military chiefs.
"He doesn't care about the lives of refugees on these boats, he doesn't care about the safety of the Australian men and women who are working on board these boats in very dangerous circumstances, and he simply doesn't care about letting Australian people and the public know what his plans and policies really are," Hanson-Young told reporters in Adelaide.
The acting Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, added that he was worried "a whole generation of our defence personnel" could suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder from having to implement the government's cruel asylum policies.
"We are plumbing new depths when it comes to some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people," he said. "What's next? Are we going to start sinking boats when they arrive?
"It's hard to imagine we could get any crueller than taking people in the dead of night, turning their boats around, dropping them off at some godforsaken place, somewhere off the coast of Indonesia."The Jakarta Post quoted the national police chief, General Sutarman, as saying: “If boat people have entered the country’s territory, they must be arrested for violating the country’s territorial integrity, and not be pushed back to us.”
The newspaper also quoted a Golkar party politician, Tantowi Yahya, as criticising the military chief for welcoming Australia’s move. “The boat-people issue is not our business because they are not Indonesians and also because they illegally attempted to enter Australia. Where is the involvement of Indonesia [in the matter]? Australia should not arbitrarily act the way it did especially following the suspended co-operation between the countries,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Australian government refused to confirm the purchase of large, hard-hulled lifeboats .. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/08/turning-back-boats-could-antagonise-indonesia , to which asylum seekers in unseaworthy vessels could be transferred and directed back towards Indonesia. It prompted fresh accusations from Labor and the Greens that the government was hiding from accountability needed in a democracy. The Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese said Australia was not North Korea and citizens deserved to know what was being done in their name.
Abbott indicated on Thursday he was comfortable with being criticised for secrecy on asylum-seeker issues.
"We don't want to give rise to a whole lot of mischief making, and I'd rather be criticised for being a bit of a closed book on this issue and actually stop the boats, and that's the point; the point is not to provide sport for public discussion; the point is to stop the boats and I'm pleased to say that it's now several weeks since we've had a boat and the less we talk about operational details on the water the better when it comes to stopping the boats,” he said.
ONE UP! ONE WONDERFUL END - Writing is an act of resistance | Behrouz Boochani | TEDxSydney
"Tough guys: Operation Sovereign Borders vs the PNG Solution 27 July 2013, 12.18pm AEST "
•Jul 31, 2019
TEDx Talks
For the past six years Behrouz Boochani, like hundreds of others who have sought asylum in Australia, has been imprisoned on Manus Island. In this moving talk, he calls for compassion and freedom, reminding us all that "we are human just like you”. As Behrouz says, "for me, writing and creating is a kind of resistance, it is a way of fighting to get my identity, humanity and dignity back in front of a system that is established to take anything that has meaning of life from us." Behrouz Boochani is a Kurdish journalist, writer, poet and filmmaker. He has been held in Manus Island detention centre since 2013. During his time in detention he has published regularly with The Guardian, and his writing also features in The Saturday Paper, Huffington Post, New Matilda, The Financial Times and The Sydney Morning Heraldcoveringthe plight of his fellow refugees, held by the Australian government on Manus Island.
In 2018 he published his novel — No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison, which won Australia’s most valuable literary award, the $100,000 2019 Victorian Prize for Literature.
His journalism has also been awarded the Amnesty International Australia 2017 Media Award, the Diaspora Symposium Social Justice Award, the Liberty Victoria 2018 Empty Chair Award, and the Anna Politkovskaya Award for journalism. Boochani remains in detention in Manus Island. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
A victory for humanity': Behrouz Boochani's literary prize speech in full
•Feb 1, 2019
Guardian News
Asylum seeker Behrouz Boochani has accepted the $125,000 Victorian premier’s literary prize via video link from Manus Island where he has been held for six years. 'I would like to say that this award is a victory. It is a victory not only for us but for literature and art and above all it is victory for humanity,' the writer said. 'It is a victory against the system that has reduced us to numbers. This is a beautiful moment. Let us all rejoice tonight in the power of literature'
Manus Island refugee Behrouz Boochani wins prestigious Victorian Premier's Literary Award
Posted Thursday 31 January 2019 at 11:40pm, updated Thursday 31 January 2019 at 11:55pm
Behrouz Boochani's book reflected on his experiences on Manus Island.(AAP: Jason Garman/ Amnesty International)
Manus Island refugee Behrouz Boochani has won the top prize at the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards after organisers made an exception to allow him to enter despite not being an Australian resident or citizen.
Key points:
* Kurdish-Iranian journalist Behrouz Boochani has been detained on Manus Island since 2013
* He said he hopes the award win will bring more attention to the situation on the island
* Mr Boochani wrote the book by sending it in Whatsapp messages to his translator
His novel — No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison — won the country's most valuable literary award, the $100,000 Victorian Prize for Literature, as well as claiming $25,000 for first place in the category of non-fiction.
But Boochani was not in attendance at the awards ceremony. The Kurdish-Iranian journalist remains on Manus Island and, has been denied entry into Australia since his detention began in 2013.
Speaking to The Guardian, for which he is a columnist, Boochani described receiving the award from a country that has kept him locked up for the better part of six years as "a paradoxical feeling".
"My main aim has always been for the people in Australia and around the world to understand deeply how this system has tortured innocent people on Manus and Nauru in a systematic way for almost six years," he told Guardian Australia.
"I hope this award will bring more attention to our situation, and create change, and end this barbaric policy."
Refugee Behrouz Boochani free in New Zealand after years of detention in PNG | 7.30
•Nov 19, 2019
ABC News (Australia)
Seen by many as the voice of asylum seekers held in off-shore detention, the refugee and author Behrouz Boochani has been allowed to travel to New Zealand to speak at a literary festival. He isn't ruling out claiming asylum there, which could create political tension, as Australia has long rejected the New Zealand's offer to resettle refugees.
Behrouz Boochani granted refugee status in New Zealand
Refugee shone a light on plight of hundreds of asylum seekers held in an Australian-run offshore island detention camp.
24 Jul 2020
Immigration New Zealand said Boochani's application had been successful, which means he has the right to stay in the South Pacific nation indefinitely [File: Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images]
Behrouz Boochani, a Kurdish-Iranian refugee who wrote an award-winning book on his mobile phone while held in one of Australia's notorious Pacific detention camps, has been granted asylum in New Zealand.
The 37-year-old has been in New Zealand since November when he applied for refugee status after attending a literary festival to speak about his six years in limbo under Australia's hardline immigration policies.
Immigration New Zealand said Boochani's application had been successful, which means he has the right to stay in the country indefinitely.
"Mr Boochani has been recognised as a refugee under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol," it said in a brief statement, refusing to release further details on privacy grounds.
Asylum seekers intercepted at sea by Australian authorities are sent to Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, where Boochani was, or the South Pacific island of Nauru. They are permanently barred from settling in Australia, with many languishing on the islands for years.
'Whole story remains'
Boochani said while it was a huge step forward to have certainty about his future, the development had left him with mixed feelings.
"I feel relieved, it's the end of very long story, my personal story," Boochani said. "But on the other side, the whole story still remains, and I'm only part of whole story. This policy of Australia still keeps people in indefinite detention."
While the numbers of asylum-seekers being held in offshore detention camps by Australia has been significantly reduced over the years, Boochani said there are still hundreds being kept in limbo on Nauru and Papua New Guinea, as well as within Australia.
VIDEO -Behrouz Boochani leaves Manus Island after six years, lands in NZ
Boochani first travelled to New Zealand from Papua New Guinea in November on a temporary one-month visa to speak at a literary festival about his book, which details the time he spent on Manus Island.
After his visa expired, he stayed on in the city of Christchurch, choosing to keep a relatively low profile as his case became politicised in New Zealand.
"I don't want to be a politician. I didn't want to create a challenge in this country," Boochani said. "I have a simple life, and have been doing work overseas."
Boochani confirmed he had previously been recognised as a refugee by the United States, although he said the process had never been finalised. Under President Donald Trump, the US has been reluctant to accept refugees from certain countries, including Iran. Experience on Manus Island
After Boochani, an ethnic Kurd, fled from Iran he eventually made his way by boat to Australia's Christmas Island in 2013 and was later held on Manus Island.
Using a smuggled phone and posting to social media, Boochani shone a light on the plight of hundreds of asylum seekers. He detailed the unsanitary conditions, hunger strikes and violence, as well as deaths caused by medical neglect and suicide.
He said he felt a responsibility to film and write, to challenge the system and expose what was going on.
He eventually used his phone to write his book, sending snippets in Farsi to a translator over the messaging app WhatsApp.
VIDEO - Australia's asylum seekers excluded from government financial aid (2:32)
Boochani could not collect his award or the prize money of 125,000 Australian dollars ($89,000) in person because he was still confined to Manus. He was later moved to the capital, Port Moresby.
In New Zealand, Boochani will work as a senior adjunct research fellow at the University of Canterbury, the institution announced.
Boochani said he has been working with Indigenous Maori from the Ngai Tahu tribe. One thorny issue could be whether Boochani is ever allowed to visit Australia.
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