Nauru officially joins Refugee Convention

26 Sep 2011, 7:33 pm   -   Source: AAP
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The Nauru detention centre was closed at the end of 2007. (Getty Images)

The Nauru detention centre was closed at the end of 2007. (Getty Images)

Nauru, the Opposition's preferred destination for asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat, is now officially a party to the United Nations Refugee Convention.

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Nauru is now officially a party to the United Nations Refugee Convention.

The tiny Pacific nation - Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's preferred destination for asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat - signed the paperwork necessary to join the convention in June.

After waiting 90 days for the UN to process the paperwork, the Nauruan government confirmed it was now a party to the convention.

Nauru's decision to sign the convention bolstered Mr Abbott's calls to recommence offshore processing of asylum seekers in the island's mothballed detention centre.

But Labor has ruled out returning to Nauru, choosing instead to press ahead with a seemingly doomed bid to resurrect its controversial Malaysian people swap deal.

Parliament last week began debating draft laws aimed at restoring the government's power to send asylum seekers to third countries, placed in doubt by the High Court decision that struck the Malaysian deal down in August.

The government is hoping to attract enough crossbench support to push its amendments through the lower house but the coalition and Greens are set to vote them down in the Senate.

Mr Abbott has ruled out supporting the legislation unless the government accepts an amendment that would limit offshore processing to convention countries - thereby allowing Nauru but ruling out Malaysia.

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Your Comments

Send them straight to UN run camps

Concerned - from NSW, 8 months ago

Those who illegally enter our waters should be put on vessels and sent to UN run camps ,stop playing games the UN have control of these camps and have run them for yrs they have the experience to control the influx of illegals and we should be looking to Italy the mess that it is in now that will be us if we let this continue

sign or don't sign ....

Paul DeGrout - from Narellan, 8 months ago

The real truth is, THE MAJORITY OF AUSTRALIANS COULDN'T CARE LESS WHO SIGNS WHAT ! If the UN doesn't like our arangements for dealing with illegal arrivals, they can take a running jump.

Send Aussies now??

Matt - from Albury, 8 months ago

Im happy to pay more tax to send Australians over their to live and do the processing. Then pay to fly the refugees to Australia once processed. And I'm happy to pay for the people that aren't allowed into Australia, to fly out of Nauru, via Sydney to wherever they are then taken. It just makes sense, we are wealthy, we can pay more taxes to do it this way, and we are giving Australians Government jobs overseas. 90% of the refugees end up here in Australia, its a win win for all...

So

Yousif - from Sydney, 8 months ago

Great news, so are we going to send a single White/Christian/Western/Wealthy refugee, asylum seeker or expired visa person there or my outrageous, preposterous & despicable thoughts on how things work is just simply true!!!

Send them now

Den - from Sydney, 8 months ago

Well that's a slap in the face for Gillard ,she has to send them ,the mess that she and labor has put us in is out of hand ,we send 800 to Malaysia and get 4000 ,what a lot of BS ,these should have been sent straight to UN run camps not this game she is having

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