Twelve years later, $13 billion, no plan: Offshore processing drags into its thirteenth year

More than 130 people are still trapped offshore after being sent there by the Australian Government — with no plan for the vast majority of people there, no resettlement, and no end in sight.

On the 12-year anniversary of offshore detention, the ASRC is releasing updated data showing that Australia’s offshore processing regime has now cost taxpayers over $13 billion, while people continue to suffer. The devastating toll of offshore detention is well-documented – over 14 deaths, life-threatening medical neglect, and a systemic pattern of sexual abuse, including against children. In January this year, the UN Human Rights Committee found that Australia was responsible for violations of human rights and called on the Government to offer compensation. 

Despite this, nearly 100 people remain detained on Nauru, and 37 in Papua New Guinea, many now in their thirteenth year of limbo.

There are no resettlement pathways available for people on Nauru. In PNG, even those accepted for resettlement in New Zealand have been waiting more than a year to leave. The United States is frozen, Canada is no longer accepting new applications, and the Labor Government has offered no plan for the vast majority of refugees left behind.

Meanwhile, the mental health crisis is deepening. ASRC figures reveal that 100% of refugees in PNG suffer from physical health conditions and 40% experience chronic suicidality. ASRC’s detention caseworkers report that the majority of people on Nauru suffer from severe mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, complex trauma and suicidal ideation. Children in PNG have been unable to attend school for years. Families are living in fear, and many are too afraid to leave their accommodation due to violence and discrimination.

Today, the ASRC has launched its updated Freedom Paper — a policy blueprint setting out how the Government can end offshore detention and deliver a fair and humane refugee system. The paper calls for:

• The immediate medical evacuation of all people from Nauru and PNG
• Clear, swift pathways to permanency for people with no resettlement options
• An end to offshore processing
• A Royal Commission into the detention regime

Read the paper at: https://asrc.org.au/policy-freedom/

This anniversary comes just months after the Labor Government was returned with a clear majority. With the politics of fear rejected at the ballot box, the Government has both the power and the mandate to act. Two years have passed since people were again sent to Nauru under Labor, and there is still no resettlement plan.

Rallies and vigils are being held across the country today to call for an end to this regime. Public support for change is clear: recent ASRC polling shows the majority of Australians reject cruel treatment of refugees and support a compassionate, rights-based approach.

The ASRC is calling on the Albanese Government to immediately evacuate people from PNG and Nauru and enact the recommendations of the Freedom Paper.

Jana Favero, ASRC Deputy CEO, said:

“Every year the anniversary of 19 July is a shocking reminder of the tragedy and moral and financial policy failure that is offshore detention. Offshore detention was never about safety, fairness or protection, it was always about cruelty and politics. The Albanese Government has the power, the majority, and the mandate to act. It must end this failed and brutal policy now and bring every person to safety.”

Md Nurul Islam Chawdhury, refugee in PNG, said:

“We have been here for 12 years. Australia will not accept us. My children cannot go to school. We have been approved to go to New Zealand, but we’ve been waiting for more than a year. Just waiting. We are tired.”

Anonymous refugee detained on Nauru, said:

“I never take breakfast because I don’t have enough money. I can’t buy fruit or vegetables. I feel pain in my chest and there is no treatment. Every day I feel like I am dying.”

Faisal Elzeiny, refugee in PNG, said:

“The situation in PNG is extremely difficult and heartbreaking. We have faced unimaginable hardship, and continue to live through very painful conditions. Coping every day is a challenge, filled with uncertainty, fear, and emotional strain. Offshore detention has had a devastating impact on my life. The challenges I faced were so severe at some point I felt like giving up completely. The emotional toll was overwhelming. I felt ill, hopeless, and mentally broken. Being treated as less than human, with no clear future and no dignity, is a trauma that stays with me. It destroys me every single day.”

About the ASRC

As a human rights organisation that speaks out against injustice with refugees and people seeking asylum, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) reaffirms our commitment to voice, truth, and treaty for First Nations people.

As we stated from the beginning of our public commitment to reconciliation and the Yes campaign, our vision is that all Australians, First Nations people, and those who have come here seeking asylum can live safely, sustainably, independently, and equally.

We imagine a future where First Nations people’s cultures, histories, and rights are recognised and valued by everyone in our community, forming a proud part of our shared national identity.