Australia has enacted a law permitting the expedited deportation of non-citizens to third countries, enabling the transfer of hundreds of refugees whose visa applications were rejected due to criminal convictions to the small Pacific island of Nauru.
As part of a 30-year agreement signed with Nauru,, Australia has committed to paying A$2.5 billion for hosting up to 350 deportees, including an initial A$400 million to create an endowment fund for the resettlement programme, along with A$70 million in annual payments.
On Nauru, a population of 12,000, business owners and community workers who spoke to Reuters by phone expressed mixed feelings about the resettlement of several hundred people with criminal records on the 21-square-kilometre island, which has limited health facilities and infrastructure.
“We’ve had all sorts of people come through here, from war-torn countries or poverty. Locals are robust,” one business owner said.
Another Nauruan mentioned that the hospital and other infrastructure on the island are in poor condition, with many facilities in disrepair. As a result, locals often travel overseas to access health services whenever possible.
In Australia’s parliament, Greens Senator David Shoebridge said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s centre-left government was looking at Nauru “as a dumping ground.”
“Nauru is a tiny island with almost no economy,” he said.
The government stated that the law eliminates procedural fairness for individuals being deported to a third country, restricting their ability to pursue further appeals in the courts.
An official from Australia’s Home Affairs department said Australia will begin applying to Nauru for visas for the deportees “on a rolling basis commencing fairly soon”.
Nauru will determine which non-citizens it agrees to accept, although Australia retains the option to reclaim the funds if the programme does not meet the expected outcomes.