Key Points
- The resettlement deal was proposed by New Zealand in 2012
- The resettling of the first refugees is expected to take place before the end of 2022
More than a dozen refugees currently under Australia's regional processing program could be sent to resettle in New Zealand by the end of the year as part of the bilateral deal struck in March, SBS News can exclusively reveal.
, in the agreement made in March, nine years after the offer was first made.
Authorities in New Zealand have interviewed 14 people and the process of making immigration decisions for this first group is underway, with the resettling of the first refugees expected to take place before the end of 2022.
SBS News understands that refugees resettled in New Zealand will not be able to settle in Australia.
We are asking the Australian government to bring them here. Give them the care they need.Zaki Haidari
Zaki Haidari, a human rights campaigner for Amnesty International, said delays in processing and interviewing applicants are only adding to the "10 years of torture" refugees have experienced in Australia's offshore facilities.
"Not just by the Australian government, but by the companies that were contracted to care for them," he said.
The resettlement deal was proposed by New Zealand in 2012 and could have been an option for refugees in facilities in Nauru or Papua New Guinea.
It is a matter of urgency that all refugees are evacuated from Nauru and PNG and given the care they need. The Aus gov must commit to ensuring the safety of all those left on Nauru.
— Amnesty International Australia 🕯 (@amnestyOz)
Mr Haidari said many refugees "detained" there "can't even hold a conversation for five minutes" and should be provided medical treatment in Australia before they have to undertake resettlement interviews which "take hours".
"We are asking the Australian government to bring them here. Give them the care they need. And once they're healthy enough, they can make decisions on which country they feel safe to go to," he said.
A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Home Affairs said individuals in Nauru are "not detained", adding: "All reside in the Nauruan community, with full freedom of movement and work rights."
Home Affairs also encouraged refugees to voluntarily return to their home country.
"Individuals are encouraged to engage with available migration options, such as third country resettlement to the United States, New Zealand or Canada, or voluntarily return home or to another country in which they have a right of entry, and depart Nauru or Australia as soon as possible," the spokesperson said.
How does New Zealand's refugee stance compare to Australia's?
Abbas Nazari, who fled Afghanistan in 2001 and has since settled in New Zealand, said there are "stark differences" in how New Zealand's government approaches refugees seeking permanent protection to Australia's.
Mr Nazari fled the Taliban with his family 20 years ago on a small wooden fishing boat before they were rescued by the Norwegian container ship, the MV Tampa, in the Indian Ocean.
Known as the Tampa Affair, former Australian prime minister John Howard ordered the ship to be boarded by special forces. He later introduced the "Pacific Solution", whereby the asylum seekers are taken to Nauru where their refugee status is considered, rather than in Australia.
Former prime minister of New Zealand Helen Clark called Mr Howard, and told him New Zealand would take the 150 refugees aboard the Tampa.
"The moment I mention Tampa in New Zealand, and in Australia, there's two very starkly different reactions," Mr Nazari said, speaking at the compassionate approaches to resettling refugees forum in Melbourne.
"In New Zealand, it's a moment of pride.
"Whereas when you mention it in Australia, a lot of people shake their heads."
He says the Tampa affair still affects policy-making and "even pop culture" in Australia today, and that New Zealand's migration and refugee settings have "just a little bit more compassion than in this country".
Mr Nazari said Australian policymakers look at refugees as a financial cost, rather than people who can give back to the country.
He added: "No one wants to be a refugee. No one wants to give up their identity, friends, land and culture, relationships and all they've known."
