From the category archives:

Australia and the Pacific

APPRN Statement on a new approach to regional cooperation on refugee protection

16 September 2011

The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) is deeply disappointed by the Australian government’s announcement that it intends to seek passage of legislation overturning the ruling by the High Court of Australia in the case of Plaintiff M70/2011 v Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. The High Court held that it is unlawful under Australia’s existing [...]

Read the full article →

The demise of the Malaysian Solution

5 September 2011

By Dr Savitri Taylor Source: La Trobe University  On 25 July 2011, Australia and Malaysia entered into a legally non-binding Arrangement, which provided for the transfer to Malaysia of up to 800 people arriving irregularly in Australia by boat after the date of signing.  The Gillard government attempted to implement this arrangement by using the [...]

Read the full article →

Australian High Court rules against refugee swap

31 August 2011

Source: The News Tribune CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s highest court ruled Wednesday that Australia cannot send asylum seekers to Malaysia as part of a new refugee swap deal. The High Court reached a 5-2 majority decision to make permanent an injunction that has prevented Australia from transferring 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia in return for [...]

Read the full article →

APRRN Joint statement on the Australia – Malaysia refugee swap agreement

17 May 2011

The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network is very concerned about the proposed  Australia-Malaysia bilateral agreement under which Australia plans to transfer 800 individuals seeking asylum to Malaysia in return for resettling an additional 4,000 refugees from Malaysia over the next 4 years. As civil society organisations working with refugees in the Asia Pacific region and [...]

Read the full article →

NGOs slam govt delay of asylum claims

6 May 2010

May 5, 2010 – 5:59PM Source: Sydney Morning Herald More than 40 non-government organisations from 16 countries have condemned the Rudd government’s decision to suspend the processing of asylum claims by Sri Lankan and Afghan nationals. In a joint statement released on Wednesday, 45 NGOs said the government had sent a clear message that it [...]

Read the full article →