Refugees left destitute and starving in Papua New Guinea (PNG) by the Australian Government for over a year will finally have minimal financial support restored – but only if they meet impossible conditions that could see them homeless by Christmas.

Refugees have been told by PNG Immigration and Citizenship Services Authority (ICSA) that a weekly financial allowance of approximately AUD $348 for singles, AUD $414 for couples and slightly more for families will be allocated if people sign an agreement to vacate their current accommodation by December 19, 2024.

Men who are well enough to communicate with ASRC have said finding safe accommodation they can afford, and with security, will be impossible on the allowance. Many families have already experienced violence on the streets of Port Moresby and are afraid if they’re evicted they’ll be homeless and vulnerable to further attacks.

Despite clear evidence of the serious health issues affecting the group which has been conveyed repeatedly to Australian and PNG officials, refugees have been told they will now also need to pay for their own medical care out of the allowance. Costs for medical care at the Pacific International Hospital (PIH) are exorbitant, with a single night stay costing up to AUD $970.

ASRC’s detention caseworkers and other advocates in contact with the group, say people are now far too unwell after 11 years in PNG and subjected to detention, abuse, trauma, medical neglect and deprivation to survive under the new arrangements. Already, people are becoming too ill to engage in the resettlement process and will now have the added barrier of struggling to prioritise needs, find housing and choose between feeding their children or accessing medical care.

Prior to November 2023, when support was cut off to the refugee cohort amid claims of corruption by PNG providers, men and their families were provided accommodation with security, utilities, case management, transport, medical care and a financial allowance for basic necessities.

Quotes attributable to:

Jana Favero, ASRC’s Deputy CEO
“Yet again, people banished to offshore detention in PNG are being put in harm’s way with another round of uncertainty and change. While we welcomed the reinstatement of support, we didn’t envisage people would be set up to fail from the outset.”

“How are people who are extremely unwell expected to find safe housing? This also goes against assurances in Senate Estimates that no one would be made homeless.  The new arrangement which is significantly less than what men were previously provided will set people and their families up for further illness, homelessness and deprivation and the situation must be rectified by the Australian Government immediately.”

Md Nurul Islam Chawdhury, Father of two in PNG
“We are always on edge, always fearful, when is PNG immigration going to evict us? If they evict us there is no place we can go to. The financial allowance we are being offered is insufficient to rent a house. My daughter is 12 and she is growing, a cheaper house in remote countryside has no safety or security.

“Add the cost of food, healthcare, transport, utilities and the allowance will not cover it, I don’t know what will happen to us.”

Heidi Abdel-Raouf, ASRC’s Detention Policy Casework Lead
“The refugees and their families in PNG are living in a constant state of fear and hypervigilance, worried about their uncertain and unpredictable futures, not knowing how they are going to continue to survive. They are conflicted about the implications of signing or not signing the new agreement.

“They are feeling conned into the impossibility of moving again and independently finding accommodation by the 19th December, and managing the cost of all basic living expenses including accommodation, utilities, food, healthcare and transport, with a financial allowance that is so small it can barely cover one of these needs. People are terrified that the reality they will be facing in early 2025 is homelessness and starvation – in their 12th year offshore.”

-ENDS-