Scott Morrison: 'The boats have not yet stopped but they are stopping'
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Version 0 of 1. Scott Morrison has declared that the number of asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat is dropping, as for the fourth time since the Coalition was elected none arrived in the past week. The minister for immigration and border protection did not hold his weekly briefing to update the press on developments in the military-led Operation Sovereign Borders, but issued a statement. “The boats have not yet stopped but they are stopping,” he said. The Coalition's hardline stance on asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat has been staunchly criticised by a number of organisations. These include the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, saying the policy of mandatory processing and resettlement offshore in Papua New Guinea and Nauru was in breach of multiple international laws. Guardian Australia has exclusively reported the allegations contained in a damning letter signed by 15 doctors who have worked inside immigration detention on Christmas Island. It alleges “numerous unsafe practices and gross departures from generally accepted medical standards which have posed significant risk to patients and caused considerable harm". In his last press conference on 20 December, Morrison refused to go into any detail about the letter, which he had been aware of since 6 December but had not yet read. “A new 48-hour transfer policy is ensuring that offshore processing under the Coalition is a reality for those who seek to come here illegally,” Morrison said. The doctor’s letter directly criticises both Morrison and the 48-hour target, arguing the fast turnaround places such a strain on the medical assessment practice that lives are being risked. Morrison’s statement says Coalition policies have had a direct impact on the slowing of boat arrivals. In the first 100 days of Operation Sovereign Borders, it says, 1,106 asylum seekers arrived in Australia by boat. “This represents an 87% reduction on the 100 days that preceded the establishment of this operation,” it says. There are now 841 asylum seekers, including women and children, on Nauru, 1,229 on Manus Island, and 2,197 in detention on Christmas Island. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |