Australia on Thursday (24 March) accepted an offer made almost a decade ago by New Zealand to take in 450 refugees who for years have been living in detention centers on remote Pacific islands.
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This proposal, which dates back to 2013, provides for New Zealand to welcome 150 refugees each year for three years, all of whom have been previously selected by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
“
We are happy to make resettlement offers to refugees who would otherwise have continued to face an uncertain future
,” said New Zealand Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi.
In a joint statement with Australian Home Secretary Karen Andrews, Kris Faafoi said the deal reflected "
New Zealand's long and proud history of refugee resettlement
".
Detention camps
Wellington had made an initial offer as Australia sought to deter record numbers of asylum seekers from arriving on the island by boat.
Canberra sent them to migrant detention camps on the small Pacific island of Nauru and Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, saying no asylum seekers arriving by boat will would be allowed to settle permanently in Australia.
At the time, Australia rejected Wellington's offer, fearing the refugees might eventually return to Australia, under a residency rights agreement between the two countries.
Karen Andrews said the proposal accepted on Thursday should not be interpreted as a softening of Canberra's stance on migrants arriving by boat.
“
Australia stands firm - (people) arriving illegally by sea will not settle here permanently.
Anyone trying to cross our borders will be turned back or sent to Nauru
,” she said.
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UNHCR welcomed the announcement, saying the long period of uncertainty has " taken
a heavy toll
" on refugees caught in Australia's system of offshore camps in Papua New Guinea or Nauru.
He said 112 refugees were still in Nauru and around 1,100 people, who had been living in Pacific detention centres, are now living in Australia on temporary visas.
UNHCR said the 450 places offered by New Zealand would not accommodate them all.
“
However, we hope it will give further impetus to this goal so that humane and lasting answers can be found, including in Australia, for all those who have suffered from Australia's offshore treatment policies.
said UNHCR.
