Transcript
KATE SHOOTZEE: This shows that offshore processing is a failure. All it does in endanger people's lives in PNG in particular, because this is not the first incident of violence we have seen at that centre so Australia needs to end offshore processing and bring those people to Australia, and if that cannot be done they should consider all other rights respecting officers from third countries in relation to the refugees who are currently on Manus. The second step is t that they need to promptly and indecently investigating this incident, that includes looking at the CCTV footage and making the findings of an inquiry public in relation to this incident we haven't seen this take place yet and it's quite alarming that there's not clear official response from the Australian government that they're looking into this matter.
BEN ROBINSON DRAWBRIDGE: Given that Australia abdicates responsibility for the centre is it likely that they would initialise an inquiry?
KS: Well the point is that they're in effective control of the centre they're making noises saying they were going to shut down the centre by the end of this year. The important thing to remember is that just moving these people around within Papua New Guinea doesn't guarantee their safety any more than it is now and right now, the longer this goes on the more lives we're likely to lose through offshore processing. We had the department announce an official inquiries recently, but seven people have died in Manus and Nauru offshore processing centres and that's nearly two people a year since this policy was first implemented. So how many more people have to die before they acknowledge this was a policy failure and it’s unsustainable.
BRD: It Australia likely to pass this off to PNG though? Can that country organise an inquiry do you think?
KS: they can and where there is political will they do sometimes conduct inquiries, but they’re very time consuming and they lack the adequate resources to do this properly without the cooperation of the Australian government. For example, there has already been statements saying they’d like to see the CCTV footage and the Australian government has refused to release that. So essentially a proper inquiry cannot happen without the co-operation of both groups in this case. And I think working on PNG holding the police and the security officers to account will be incredibly difficult. This incident took place on a military base so it's not clear whether the military is going to extent its jurisdiction to local police officers to look into that matter and it's been a month after this incident and we've had no clear indications of the investigations of both the PNG police force as well as the military. So that's quite alarming as well.
BRD: Having seen the pictures myself, I could have probably told you they were firing directing into the centre. I'm wondering if an inquiry would not be better placed into Mr Dutton's claims.
KS: I think and inquiry will have to look into the full response as well as the responses that took place after that incident. I think Dutton's comments were reckless and they further endanger the lives of refugees and asylum seeker further. you can't down play the risk that comments like that will insight further violence in the community and that the people of Manus Island and PNG are being played as much as the refugees and asylum seekers by the Australian government here.
