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Video Information


Below: On July 19, 2013, the Australian Prime Minister released a video address to the nation in which he explained that an agreement had been made with Papua New Guinea. Under this agreement, asylum seekers attempting to come to Australia by boat will be processed in Papua New Guinea and if found to be refugees will be settled there.




Below: On July 19, 2013, the leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, was interviewed by the ABC. He gave his party’s views on the new policy. Mr Abbott argued that the policy would not succeed.




Below: On July 26, 2013, Aljazeera produced a report detailing the concerns of the United Nations regarding the plan to transfer asylum seekers coming by boat to Australia to Papua New Guinea.




Below: On May 28, 2013, SBS current affairs program Dateline televised a half hour report on conditions on the asylum seeker processing centre on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea.




Below:On July 27, Channel 7 News televised a report on the new asylum seeker policy. The report features Immigration Minister Tony Burke who had recently returned from inspecting Australia's offshore detention facilities, declaring Manus Island to be ready to go.




Below:On July 25 it was reported by View A News, London, that 1899 asylum seekers were rescued and nine drowned attempting to come by boat from Papua New Guinea to Australia. The report includes a range of comments on Australia’s new policy.





Web links, documents

On July 19, 2013, the British newspaper The Guardian published a full transcript of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's announcement of his government's asylum seeker policy arrangement with Papua New Guinea.
The transcript can be accessed at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/19/kevin-rudd-statement-asylum-seekers
The same announcement can be found on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's official internet site at http://www.pm.gov.au/press-office/australia-and-papua-new-guinea-regional-settlement-arrangement

On July 19, 2013, the Australian Government released a transcript of a joint press conference given by Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill. The full transcript of this conference can be found at http://www.pm.gov.au/press-office/transcript-joint-press-conference-2

On July 19, 2013, The Conversation published a discussion of Australia's asylum seeker policies over the last several years. The piece is written by Sharon Pickering, Professor of Criminology at Monash University, who argues that Australia needs to adopt 'workable, just solutions that will prevent the deaths of asylum seekers seeking irregular entry into Australia.'
The full text of Professor Pickering's proposals can be found at http://theconversation.com/preventing-deaths-at-sea-asking-the-experts-on-asylum-seekers-8315

On July 19, 2013, the British newspaper The Guardian published a series of comments from Australia academics critical of the country's new policy in relation to asylum seekers. The piece is titled 'Is Australia's new asylum policy the harshest in its history?'
The full text can be accessed at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/19/australia-asylum-policy-harshest-policy

On July 20, 2013, The Townsville Bulletin published a report by Gemma Jones titled 'Rudd: PNG will take all asylum seekers'. The piece is presented as a news report; however, it adopts a perspective critical of the new policy.
The full text of the article can be found at http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2013/07/20/385882_news.html

On July 21, 2013, a number of key members of the Australian government defended its asylum seeker arrangements with Papua New Guinea against accusations that they are illegal.
These arguments were reported in an article published in The Sydney Morning Herald and titled 'New refugee policy is legal, insists Labor'. The full text of this article can be found at http://www.smh.com.au/national/new-refugee-policy-is-legal-insists-labor-20130721-2qc4i.html

On July 21, 2013, the ABC's current affairs program The Insiders included a wide-ranging discussion of the government's new policy in relation to asylum seekers. Included among those giving opinions were the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Peter O'Neill, and the Australian Opposition leader, Tony Abbott. A full transcript of this discussion can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/content/2012/s3807515.htm
On July 23, 2013, The Conversation published an analysis of the number of asylum seekers who have died attempting to reach Australia by boat during the Prime Ministership of John Howard and in the period since. The piece was written by Sara Davies, Senior Research Fellow, International Relations at Griffith University
The full text of this analysis can be found at http://theconversation.com/factcheck-have-more-than-1000-asylum-seekers-died-at-sea-under-labor-16221

On July 21, 2013, The Courier Mail ran a report titled 'Campbell Newman predicts wave of asylum seekers escaping PNG across Torres Strait to Queensland'. The report details the Queensland premier's criticisms of the new policy.
The full text can be found at http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/campbell-newman-predicts-wave-of-asylum-seekers-escaping-png-across-torres-strait-to-queensland/story-fnihsrf2-1226682432822

On July 22, 2013, Mamamia, the women's current affairs site published a comment by the site's editor, Mia Freedman, presenting arguments both for and against the recent development in Australia's policies regarding asylum seekers.
The full text of this comment can be found at http://www.mamamia.com.au/election2013/asylum-seekers-stop-the-boats-bigotry/

On July 23, 2013, The Conversation published an analysis of the attitudes and objectives that appear to have informed Australia's asylum seeker policies. The piece looks at these in relation to Australia's obligations under international law. It is titled 'Defining "success" in the asylum seeker debate' and is written by Melissa Phillips, an Honorary Fellow in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. The full text of this article can be found at http://theconversation.com/defining-success-in-the-asylum-seeker-debate-16296

On July 23, 2013, the ABC's political commentary site The Drum published a comment by Peter Reith, a former minister in the Howard government titled, 'Asylum seeker policy is now out of our hands'
The piece criticises Australia's new asylum seeker policy arguing it leaves Australia at the discretion of Papua New Guinea.
The full text of this comment can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-23/reith-asylum-seeker-policy-is-now-out-of-our-hands/4835676

On July 29, 2013, The Age published a comment by former Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Howard, critical of the asylum seeker policies adopted by both the Government and the Opposition and arguing for a more humane and wide-ranging approach. The full text of this comment can be found at http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/vietnamese-refugees-were-a-boon-not-a-burden-20130728-2qsh4.html