Judith Adams (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to take note of answers given to questions asked of Senator Vanstone today. I note that those opposite seem very concerned about the offshore processing strategy carried out at Nauru. I think that I might be able to enlighten them on what is really happening.

Why is it important that we have the offshore processing strategy? I will describe what happens. The two offshore processing centre sites on Nauru have been critical to the success of our offshore processing. They have served Australia well. To ensure efficient and cost-effective operation of offshore processing, the offshore processing centres will be consolidated on Nauru through closing one site and maintaining the other in a state of high readiness. This reflects recent changes to processing arrangements for unauthorised boat arrivals.

Maintaining the Nauru offshore processing centre is an important part of the government’s approach to the management of unauthorised boat arrivals. The people who will benefit from this are the people of Australia, as it represents a significant saving in revenue. The initiative and the savings measure under this government will return to government some $33.8 million over four years. In what we have done in the past, Australia has maintained two offshore processing centre sites on Nauru and another on Manus Island. Manus will be retained as a contingency facility in case it is needed. The savings are ongoing and will be reviewed in the 2007-08 budget.

On the number of people that can be handled at Nauru, the capacity of the new facility will be reduced from the previous 1,500 to around 500, which will make it far more comfortable for people who happen to be there. Nauru will have a capacity of up to 100 people immediately, with a further 400 places to be available very soon. Unauthorised arrivals to Nauru are accommodated under Nauruan visa arrangements. Those visa arrangements have allowed open-centre arrangements. Informal advice from the government of Nauru is that similar conditions would apply to women, children and family units in any future case load transferred to Nauru for processing but that single males would be subject to closed-centre arrangements. Women and children will be able to move freely at any time during the day.

The reason that Nauru is preferable to Christmas Island is that the facility on Christmas Island has not been completed and is not expected to be commissioned until mid-2007 at the earliest. The government will consider how it uses offshore processing centres, including Christmas Island, in light of circumstances that exist at that time. It is important to remember that Australia received nearly 9,000 unauthorised sea arrivals in the two-year period to June 2001, so it is important to maintain contingency capacity. The reason that Nauru is preferable to Manus is that the memorandum of understanding provides for a total of 2,500 places in Manus or Nauru until June 2007. The government has not ruled out sending unauthorised arrivals to either Manus or Nauru. Manus has been mothballed since 2003. Nauru was more recently in operation, and its continued operation is welcomed by the Nauruan government.

I think it is very important that I mention to those opposite the mental health team which is going to visit Nauru. Senator Amanda Vanstone announced on 13 June that an independent group of mental health experts would visit Nauru to assess the two remaining residents of the offshore processing centre. She said that she is very concerned about the mental health of the two Iraqi men on Nauru following a recent clinical assessment done by International Organisation for Migration medical staff. She has asked the department to organise a mental health assessment team from Australia to go to Nauru to interview and assess these men and provide a report on the options to manage their mental health while they remain there. As they are subject to adverse security assessments, the Australian government will not be bringing them to Australia. (Time expired)