The Australian Prime minister Kevin Rudd has announced that all new asylum seekers who arrive by boat will not be allowed to stay in the country and sent to Papua New Guinea for processing and settlement, effectively closing Australia’s borders to refugees.
Papua New Guinea will receive generous aid packages in return.
"From now on, any asylum-seeker who arrives in Australia by boat will have no chance of being settled in Australia as a refugee," Rudd said.
"The new arrangements will allow Australia to help more people who are genuinely in need and help prevent people smugglers from abusing our system."
Greens leader, Christine Milne, said it was a “day of shame for Australia” and accused Rudd of “lurching so far to the right that he has leapfrogged Tony Abbott in terms of cruelty”.
She said it was “appalling” that Australia would “pay our most impoverished neighbour” so it could “dump” people there without any chance of safety or a decent life.
Rights group Amnesty International's regional refugee co-ordinator Graeme McGregor said this would be marked "as the day Australia decided to turn its back on the world's most vulnerable people, closed the door and threw away the key".
Australia has seen an increase in refugee arrivals by boat, a large proportion of which are Tamils fleeing Sri Lanka’s oppression.
Kevin Rudd's asylum policy may be in conflict with UN convention – The Guardian (19 Jul 2013)