19 July 2013. Just a few hours before the Prime Minister attended the Rooty Hill event, he made an announcement on national television that boat people will never be allowed to resettle in Australia.
“From now on, any asylum seeker who arrives in Australia by boat will have no chance of being settled in Australia as a refugee,” Mr. Rudd told reporters in Brisbane.
Asylum seekers arriving at Christmas Island will be sent to Australia’s Manus Island processing centre and elsewhere in Papua New Guinea for assessment of their refugee status.
“If they are found to be genuine refugees, they will be resettled in Papua New Guinea,” Mr. Rudd said. The temporary facility on the island currently houses 215 people in tents and shelters.
A permanent 600-bed facility is due for completion in January. Mr Rudd said the arrangement would apply for the next 12 months, and be subject to annual review.
“Asylum seekers who are determined to be genuine refugees will therefore have a country of settlement, namely Papua New Guinea.”