Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the motion relating to designating the Independent State of Papua New Guinea as a regional processing country be called on immediately.

In moving this motion, please let me explain that it is procedural and, if passed, it will mean that the chamber will use government business time to consider the designation of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea as a regional processing country. The government considered that this designation is important and needs to be dealt with this week. To ensure this, additional government time will be provided with the passage of this motion. Until both houses of parliament have passed a resolution approving the designation of Papua New Guinea as a processing country, the government is unable to transfer people to Papua New Guinea. If not passed this week, transfers could not occur for another three weeks, or until 29 October.

Supplementing the existing offshore processing arrangements in Nauru with a processing facility in Papua New Guinea will discourage irregular and dangerous maritime voyages and thereby reduce the risk of loss of life at sea. The designation promotes the maintenance of a fair and orderly refugee and humanitarian program that retains the confidence of the Australian people. Designating Papua New Guinea as a regional processing country also promotes regional cooperation on irregular migration and people-smuggling and their undesirable consequences.

The designation of Papua New Guinea also satisfies recommendation 9 of the expert panel on asylum seekers, which recommended:

… a capacity be established in PNG as soon as possible to process the claims of IMAs—

irregular maritime arrivals—

transferred from Australia …