NEC: Manus is asylum centre

THE PNG cabinet yesterday gave the nod for Australia to establish a processing centre for asylum seekers on Manus Island.
Cabinet has determined that the centre be funded separately under a development assistance package which would be over and above the existing development cooperation arrangement with Australia.
In a media statement last night, Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Rimbink Pato announced that the National Executive Council formally approved the request of Australia on Aug 21 to establish a centre on Manus.
Cabinet also approved for officials from government agencies led by Foreign Affairs and Trade and Immigration Services to negotiate a package with Australia in
respect of the areas of assistance not covered by the memorandum of agreement between the two countries last August.
The negotiating team would originate from:
lThe Manus provincial government;
lThe PNG Defence Force;
lThe PNG immigration service;
lAttorney-General’s Department; and
lSome impacted agencies.
Pato said he would communicate the decision to his Australian counterpart Senator Bob Carr at the first available opportunity.
He said PNG stood ready to assist Australia and was ensuring internal issues and processes were completed to pave the way for negotiations to take place and be concluded so that a further understanding or variation to the existing one could be signed.
The reopening of the centre had created heated debate on both sides of the Torres Strait for and against the plan.
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Local Manus islanders, with the newly-elected governor, welcomed the idea as a revenue-earning and services delivery opportunity while others stressed that Australia was strong-arming PNG through chequebook diplomacy and cited possible human rights abuses.
Carr said the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) set guidelines for the appropriate use of aid money, including what areas of expenditure to assist asylum seekers to be from an aid budget.
“We will be transparent about this,” Carr said.
“I look forward to sharing with the senate any expenditure of Australian aid money on any aspects related to the government’s solution.”
Reconnaissance teams completed their trips to Nauru and Manus Island last week and were this week putting in their reports to the federal government.