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DETAINEES AT AN Australian asylum-seeker camp in Papua New Guinea won millions of dollars in compensation for “degrading and cruel” treatment in a decision hailed as an important human rights victory.
Abuse, self-harm and mental health problems are reportedly rife in offshore processing centres, with detainees resorting to desperate protests like sewing their own lips together to raise awareness of their plight.
The AUS$70 million (€47 million) conditional settlement, to be shared by 1,905 people who have been held on Manus Island since 2012, averted a public trial against the government and security providers Transfield and G4S.
A class action had sought damages for what claimants said was suffering due to the harsh conditions in which they were held.
It also called for a payout for false imprisonment after the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court ruled last year that holding asylum-seekers on Manus Island was unconstitutional and illegal.
Law firm Slater and Gordon said they believed it was the largest human rights class action settlement in Australian history, with the defendants also agreeing to pay more than Aus$20 million in costs.
“The people detained on Manus Island have endured extremely hostile conditions, but they will no longer suffer in silence,” said the firm’s Andrew Baker.
“While no amount of money could fully recognise the terrible conditions the detainees endured, we hope today’s settlement can begin to provide them with an opportunity to help put this dark chapter of their lives behind them.”
The Manus detention facility opened in 2012 to hold people trying to enter Australia by boat, under a tough immigration policy that sends them offshore to be processed.
They are blocked from resettling in Australia even if found to be refugees.
Conditions in the camp, and another one on Nauru in the Pacific, have been widely criticised by refugee advocates and medical professionals, with reports of maltreatment and neglect, leading to serious health problems.
Amnesty International called the decision “historic” and “a major crack in the Australian government’s crumbling system of abuse”.
“It must be a turning point towards a better solution for refugees, one that is grounded in protection, not abuse,” said Amnesty Pacific researcher Kate Schuetze.
Prudent outcome
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the payout was not an admission of liability, but to avoid a costly six-month trial.
“In such circumstances a settlement was considered a prudent outcome for Australian taxpayers,” he said in a statement.
“The Commonwealth strongly refutes and denies the claims made in these proceedings. Settlement is not an admission of liability in any regard.”
Slater and Gordon lawyer Rory Walsh said the government and its contractor’s defence “was that it was the PNG authorities doing the imprisoning and detaining and not them”.
“The denial of liability allows the Commonwealth and the defendants to run those positions in any other cases and maintain that position,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Lead plaintiff Majid Kamasaee, an Iranian, welcomed the settlement as an overdue acknowledgement of the suffering he and others endured.
“This case is not just about me, it is about every person who has been trapped on Manus Island,” said Kamasaee, who was held there for 11 months
“I left my home in Iran in 2013 because of religious persecution and I came to Australia seeking peace, but I was sent to Manus, which was hell.
“The way we were treated at the Manus Island detention centre was degrading and cruel.”
While the Manus camp needs to close following the PNG court decision, Dutton has made clear those housed there would not be moved to Australia but instead relocated to third countries such as the United States and Cambodia, or resettled in PNG.
The government has not revealed any plans to shut down the Nauru facility.
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well done government for not wasting money on make up
People are always on about the optics of politics, perhaps since the gov look like old hags without their makeup that we just perceive them to be doing a crap job, perhaps if Enda had loads of slap on then we would be in love with him, oh the optics of politics.
In all serious fair play to them on this one.
I’m sure the people lying on hospital trollys will be ”happy” to hear this.
Wait till the gender quota kicks in and all the female TDs fill up their make up bags with Top notch gear!!
Ryan, I think you’ll find that Bertie was the highest spenders on make up! I think he’s called a man amongst many other things. ;)
Well said…. I wonder how much Cowen spent on make up?? There’s only so much it can do!!
Niall Collins the eejit. So a FF TD puts a request for information that only serves to show what a shower of thieving goms his party were in Govt. The poor bugger has grown up with FF antics all his life, that he thinks a man using 500 euro of make up a week is ok, as long as it is paid for by the taxpayer. Sure he had no chance in life.
Niall Collins is such a fool. What a stupid question to ask. I bet he spends €50 a week. That guy really fancies himself. Watch him next time he’s on a programme on telly at how he leers down the camera when he’s being introduced. He puts a new spin on “the way he might look at ya.” Seriously Creepy!
Maybe it’s “because he’s worth it”. Nah, maybe not. ;)
Enda is not wear ing make up …. bcos the IMF told him he don’t need it ….. When he is bending down back words from them …. As the saying goes you don’t look at the ornaments on the mantel peace when you are poking the fire…
Another slap in the face to FFailure… They obviously asked the question, on the understanding that the current government were continuing the Make-Up policy that FF loved so much… Not often i agree with the Government, and i applaud them for nto doing the FF Dog on it. I hope they can also get a grip on the photographer costs this year, seeing as how they made a mess of it last year…. How much did FFg/Labour spend on photographs last year?
Let’s not get carried away slapping them on the back. How about dealing with a story about what they are still claiming for like the unvouched dry cleaning allowance of 70 euros every week .€ 3500 a year without even having to produce a receipt.
Not to blow our own trumpet, but our reporting is part of the reason you know about those…
http://www.thejournal.ie/ministers-can-claim-e3500-tax-refund-for-laundry-expenses-287477-Nov2011/
http://www.thejournal.ie/this-is-how-much-your-td-claimed-in-expenses-in-2011-344683-Feb2012/
Well Done Journal .
In all fairness not much wrong with a politician spending money on keeping his or hers suit clean a well pressed!!
Sir Brian
I would expect nothing less than a minister to be clean and presentable at all times BUT at his/her own expense !
Yeah great. Now let’s tackle those bloated expenses.
eejit Collins
The previous comment took a while to load so I put eejit in one, to see if it was triggering a swear filter.
I’d love to know where the 50 went and who spent it, just for the laugh :)
FF need make up now more than ever because they have faces like well slapped asses
The department of finance has a makeup bill and declined to respond to queries about it. When questioned these departments should by law have to disclose all receipts and any other relevant information in fact they should be online so anyone can look and see the transparency
I’d say the €50 were spent on Enda getting his hair & nails done … For The Queens Visit
You can tell Harneys not in the Dail anymore! Probably off in Florida spending her fat.. pension getting a pedicure courtesy of the Irish tax payer of course! Because she’s worth it!
I wouldn’t get up on her to get over a wall :-)
I don’t understand. Politicians are traditionally very attractive people. They surely don’t need makeup.
Shoulda gone to specsavers there pal!
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