''Boat Refuggees'' Seeking Asylum in Australia to be Re-settled in Papua New Guinea Friday July 19,2013

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced that would-be asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat will no longer be resettled in the country. They will instead be sent to Papua New Guinea (PNG) for “assessment”, under a new bilateral governmental agreement

The Regional Settlement Arrangement, which was signed by the two countries (Australia & Papua New Guinea) on Friday Jult 19,2013, will initially be implemented for 12 months and reviewed annually. It will come into effect immediately

PNG's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill joined Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Rudd in formally unveiling the plan in Brisbane on Friday July 19,2013

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the new arrangement delivers a message loud and clear to people smugglers that "their business model is now basically undermined".

The package includes a significant expansion of the Manus Island detention centre to house 3,000 people up from the original capacity of 600.

Currently, about 145 people are housed on the island.

Key points:

 

• Asylum seekers who arrive by boat will never be settled in Australia
• They will be sent to Manus Island or elsewhere in PNG for assessment
• Genuine refugees will be resettled in PNG
• The agreement will be in place for at least the next 12 months
• There will be no cap on the number of refugees to be settled in PNG