(Transcript from World News Radio)
Australia's refugee resettlement deal with Cambodia appears to be a step closer.
The International Organisation for Migration says it's been asked to facilitate the transfer of refugees from the Australian detention centre on Nauru, to Cambodia.
Santilla Chingaipe has the details.
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The deal between Australia and Cambodia was signed off by the former Immigration Minister Scott Morrison on a visit to Phnom Penh towards the end of last year.
Under the deal, asylum seekers on Nauru found to be refugees could voluntarily choose to be resettled in Cambodia.
The federal government said they would receive resettlement packages, including language classes, to make them self-reliant as quickly as possible.
The Geneva-based IOM says the three countries involved have now requested assistance to implement the arrangement.
It's not yet clear when the resettlement is due to begin.
Secretary of the Department of Immigration, Mike Pezullo told a Senate committee hearing it's up to the governments of Nauru and Cambodia.
"Primary jurisidiction here, in fact the sole jurisdiction here, sits with the government of Nauru. We assist the government of Nauru through MoU (memorandum of understanding), with the provision of services, translation, different language groups being looked at. We also assist the kingdom of Cambodia in its preparatory work to in effect set up a resettlement program. It's something they are not on their account fully conversant with, so we're assisting them. And the other party that has made public comment on this is the International Organisation of Migration, or IOM which has a role to play."
Mr Pezullo says Australia will be paying an estimated $40 million over four years to help the Cambodian government to implement the deal.
"We're providing support, and we intend to provide support to the kingdom of Cambodia so that they can establish a properly functioning resettlement program which might have an application to another refugee and asylum seeker related issues - so when you say we're paying the bills, we have provided a commitment to the Cambodians which we will fully equip to provide them with support in monetary and other kind. It's their program, it's their jurisdiction."
Another Immigration Department official, Kate Pope, says Australia may end up paying for contracting the IOM.
"If the government of Cambodia contracts with the IOM to deliver these services, then the Australian government will pay the costs of that contract."
Meanwhile, at the same hearing, Immigration officials confirmed a 16-year-old girl had jumped from the balcony of a detention centre last Friday and taken to a Darwin hospital.
Mike Pezullo says his department is doing all it can to ascertain the reason.
"I as Secretary I can give you an absolute assurance, that I'll be particularly interested in the follow-up action once the girl's medical condition stabilises - sounds like it is stable - that specialists speak to her about her motivations, her feelings. It's a pretty serious step to throw yourself from a height."
The girl had been transferred to Australia in January from detention in Nauru.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson Young told the committee that she had heard reports the girl had allegedly been sexually assaulted on the island.
Immigration Department official Ken Douglas says it's investigating those claims.
"I have seen a late report this afternoon to that effect, but I think ... the department is properly going to undertake further investigations into those claims."
Mr Douglas says the department is aware of 44 cases of of alleged sexual assaults of children in detention facilities on the Australian mainland.
He says there have also been reported cases of sexual assault of children in the Australian detention centre on Nauru.
"Between the 1st of July, 2013 and the 31st of January, 2015, the department was made aware of 19 cases of reported sexual assault in detention on Nauru. Of those 19, five of them relate to minors."
Earlier this month, the Australian Human Rights Commission reported that between 2013 and 2015, there were 223 recorded assaults on children in immigration detention.
Many were cases of sexual assault.
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