Manus To Officially Close, But No Refugees From The Centre Will be Settled in Australia

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has confirmed the Manus Island Processing Centre will close, following a meeting with Papua New Guinean Prime Minister Peter O'Neill earlier today.

O'Neill has been calling for the centre's closure since April, when Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court ruled the operation of the detention centre illegal operation of the detention centre was illegal.

According to Dutton, those currently held in the processing centre will either be released to Papua New Guinea or return to the country they are seeking asylum from. The announcement came just hours after the Australian immigration minister confirmed on Twitter another boat of potential asylum seekers left Sri Lanka on Wednesday, but was intercepted and returned to the country.

"Our position, confirmed again today with PNG, is that no-one from Manus Island Regional Processing Centre will ever be settled in Australia," Dutton asserted in a statement. The Human Rights Commission reported 926 adults in detention on Manus Island as of December last year.

Australia will provide Papua New Guinea with additional resources to aid the settlement of refugees in their community, resolving a previous point of tension between the two nations. In March, O'Neill told the Press Club his government "does not have the resources to resettle the refugees as required."

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Dutton's statement confirms Australia will now bear some of the costs involved in resettlement. "It has been the longstanding position of this Government to work with PNG to close Manus and support those people as they transition into PNG or return to their country of origin," he said.

O'Neill's statement echoed Dutton's, confirming both nations are "in agreement that the centre is to be closed."

However, according to O'Neill, the decision may take some time to implement. "It is important that this process is not rushed but carried out in a careful manner. This must take into account the interests of the people of Papua New Guinea and the wellbeing of asylum seekers and refugees," he concluded.

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