Scott Morrison champagne toast in Phnom Penh 'crass, sickening': Greens
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Version 0 of 1. Toasting his Cambodian “dirty deal” with champagne was a crass and sickening move by the immigration minister, Scott Morrison, the Australian Greens have said. Morrison signed a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia’s interior minister, Sar Kheng, in Phnom Penh on Friday to allow refugees processed on the Pacific island of Nauru to resettle in Cambodia. Afterwards, the pair toasted their deal with champagne. “A number of those found to be in genuine need of protection will now have the opportunity and support to re-establish their lives free from persecution,” Morrison said. “As a party to the refugees convention, Cambodia ... is demonstrating its ability and willingness to contribute positively to this humanitarian issue.” But the Greens say the deal is a “fundamental failure” and a $40m bribe to a corrupt government that will unleash human misery. Celebrating such a deal was in poor taste, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said. “We’ve got Scott Morrison popping champagne corks as if it’s some kind of 21st celebration. It’s crass, it’s sickening,” Hanson-Young said. “On budget night we had Joe Hockey dancing, and now we have Scott Morrison popping champagne corks after signing a dirty deal with one of the most corrupt and poorest nations on Earth. A deal that will condemn families to a lifetime of danger and misery.” The Phnom Penh signing got off to a rocky start when Morrison arrived late and a tray of glasses was accidentally tipped over. After the toast, no questions were taken from waiting media. Speaking later to ABC’s Lateline, the minister brushed off suggestions that the toast was in bad taste. “This is a standard protocol in Cambodia – I’m not going to disrespect my host,” Morrison said. The opposition has labelled the deal a farce that will see only a handful of refugees resettled. “It is no wonder Scott Morrison refused to answer questions [at the signing],” Labor’s immigration spokesman, Richard Marles, said on Saturday. The deal is voluntary and applies only to asylum seekers on Nauru who are found to be refugees. Morrison hopes some will be resettled before the end of the year. Australia will give Cambodia $40m in extra assistance over the next four years. The United Nations refugee agency says it is “deeply concerned at the precedent” and has urged Australia to reconsider. Refugees were entitled to better treatment than being “shipped from one country to the next”, it said on Friday. About 100 people protested outside the Australian embassy. Ou Virak, the chairman of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said his country “couldn’t give humanitarian support even if we wanted to”. “Cambodia is poor as hell. Most of her people do not have access to decent healthcare, education,” he said. |