Legal concerns are being raised about the Australian government's deal with Papua New Guinea to process asylum-seekers and resettle refugees.
In an agreement announced by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd with PNG leader Peter O'Neill, asylum-seekers arriving by boat in Australia would be sent to Manus Island in PNG, and if they are found to be genuine refugees they would be resettled permanently there.
More than 600 asylum-seekers have arrived in Australian waters since the policy was announced last week, the ABC reports.
The Law Council says it has number of concerns stemming from the lack of clarity about the system for processing claims in PNG and whether it conforms with Australia's obligations under the United Nations convention.
Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs is similarly worried and is asking the government to explain how the deal will address those obligations, particularly for children.
Malcolm Fraser, a former Liberal prime minister, describes Manus Island and Nauru as "Australia's gulags" and is calling for a Royal Commission into the Immigration Department.
UN troubled
The UN's refugee agency has issued a statement expressing concerns about Australia's deal with Papua New Guinea.
It says there are formidable challenges and questions about integrating non-Melanesian refugees into the socio-economic and cultural life of Papua New Guinea.
The UNHCR says it's troubled by the absence of adequate protection standards and safeguards for asylum-seekers and refugees in PNG.
It says its assessment, based on recent visits there, is that there are significant shortcomings in the legal framework for processing asylum-seekers from Australia.
