Output 1.5: Offshore asylum seeker management
Objective
- Facilitate the effective operation and management of offshore processing centres for asylum seekers in third countries.
Description
The department monitors, supports and advises on offshore centre and related activities to allow people in offshore processing centres to be appropriately accommodated, cared for and given the opportunity for any asylum claims to be considered.
Performance
During the past 12 months, the department has implemented a programme to improve the facilities and services available to asylum seekers at the Republic of Nauru Hospital. The programme included the refurbishment of an accident and emergency facility, the refurbishment of a 10-bed ward for exclusive use by asylum seekers and a project to reinstate the hospital’s sewerage system and water supply to protect against flood waters entering the hospital buildings. The department also set up a health workforce strategy with the Government of Nauru under which Australia and Nauru share the cost of employment of six doctors with varying specialties.
Consolidation of processing centres in Nauru
The department consolidated offshore processing facilities at two sites in Nauru - Topside and State House, into a single processing centre at State House.
The department closed the Topside site and the lease was terminated. The State House site can accommodate up to 500 people, spread across clusters of village style accommodation that allow for the separation of the resident population for social, security or processing reasons. The original State House site has been extended to allow construction of new residential areas and recreational facilities, as well as offices and storage areas for equipment and fuel.
The department’s offshore processing centres in Nauru and Papua New Guinea (PNG) were effective in facilitating offshore asylum seeker processing. Asylum seekers were given the opportunity to present their claims to officers during interview and were free to seek external advice and assistance.
The department hosted regular inter-agency coordination meetings to ensure a high level of cooperation between the many stakeholders involved in the various aspects of managing the centres. This arrangement, combined with the department’s continuous liaison presence in Nauru, facilitated management interactions on the ground and enabled quick coordinated responses to operational matters, such as medical evacuations. Bilateral meetings with stakeholders were held as required by either party.