The Federal Government has announced that all but two of the asylum seekers being held in detention on the island of Nauru will now be brought to Australia within days.
The Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone says 13 of those coming back to Australia have been found to be refugees and will be able to live in the community on their return.
But while it’s welcome news for those who are leaving, two asylum seekers remain on Nauru and the news has compounded their feelings of frustration and isolation.
And while the Government says it will not close off what it’s called its ‘Pacific Solution’ just yet, the Labor Party is today demanding that the detention centre on Nauru be closed once and for all.
This report from Lynn Bell.
LYNN BELL: For four years, the 25 asylum seekers who’ve been in detention on the island of Nauru, have waited for this news.
Their migration agent, Marian Lay, says they’re elated that they’ve now been granted permission to come to Australia.
MARIAN LAY: It was very, very good news. When I heard last night that they would all be coming to Australia I really was quite overwhelmed. It’s been a long time coming and they’ve suffered a great deal while they’ve been kept in limbo.
LYNN BELL: She says eight Afghans and five Iraqis have been declared refugees and will arrive with temporary protection visas. The others will come with transitory visas so their cases can be processed on shore.
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In the past four years, more than 1,200 people, mostly Iraqis and Afghans, have been kept on the island under the Pacific Solution immigration policy.
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