Australia says it has agreed in principle to New Zealand's almost decade-old offer to resettle 150 offshore refugees a year from Australia. However, New Zealand says despite recent discussions - "we're not quite there yet".
It was first offered nine-years-ago in 2013. About 70 people remained in Australian detention after being evacuated from offshore detention, there was 104 still in Papua New Guinea and 112 on Nauru.
There was also 1174 people who were brought to Australia for medical reasons, with half in community detention and the rest on bridging visas.
Amnesty International NZ's Meg de Ronde said it was "time for the Australian and New Zealand Governments to get this done".
"We’re relieved that for hundreds of people, the torture is nearly over and soon they will get to begin rebuilding their lives."
During a Senate estimates committee in Australia, Home Affairs deputy secretary Marc Ablong said there had been multiple discussions between Australian and New Zealand officials throughout 2021, and "the final set of those negotiations is expected in the next few weeks on the New Zealand side as to where their position lies".
"They have to take the matter to their cabinet, so it'll have to go through the New Zealand cabinet process before they come to us with their final position."
Australia's Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo said there was an agreement in principle.
"There has to be, to satisfy the Australian government's policy, some kind of ironclad or, if not quite ironclad, firm blocking - I'll use the shorthand term that's been used of any backdoor, that's not a legal term ability for a person, particularly one who arrived after July 2013, to de facto settle in Australia by way of achieving a 444 special-purpose visa, which would effectively allow them not permanent residency but long-duration residency in Australia.
"There is an issue regarding the trans-Tasman travel arrangements whereby, after a period, a special purpose 444 visa would become available to a person who had otherwise—hypothetically—arrived after July 2013. The government's policy—on both sides of politics—has been that they would never settle here in Australia.
"We are still working through those issues with the New Zealanders because—and I've given evidence to this effect over several years—on the New Zealand side there is a concern that there's a discount, a cost or a penalty imposed on a 444 visa holder."
New Zealand Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said there had been discussions with his Australian counterpart in the last few months, but "we're not quite there yet."
He said a bottom line was that they have to go through the UNHCR process "and there's still some issues to sort out there".
"Once we cancel that out, the offer has been open for some time, and if we can do that, the Australia might take up that offer.
"There's still a few details to be sorted out. It depends where Australia gets to with the UNHCR process, that's an issue for them."
When asked if a visa requirement was one of the issues that was holding up the agreement, Faafoi said it was "not the issue".
"That is their decision at the end of the day, they decide who gets to go into Australia. We have expressed to them we are not happy with that, but the offer has been open for some time.
"There are some bottom lines for that on us, we've got to stick to those, and there's some details that they may need to sort in order for that to happen."
The 444 visa allowed New Zealand citizens to visit, study, stay, and work in Australia.
Australian PM Scott Morrison in 2018 argued that should it accept New Zealand's offer, refugees could use New Zealand as a "back door" into Australia.
Behrouz Boochani, who now lives in New Zealand after spending six years detained in an Australian offshore detention after fleeing persecution in Iran for his journalism, told 1News last year that refugees would not use New Zealand as a "back door" into Australia.
"I think that is just an excuse. I think no one should accept that."
Boochani was held at the Manus Island detention centre by Australia from 2013 – the same year New Zealand first offered to take 150 refugees a year until either there was no one left in the offshore detention centres, or New Zealand rescinded the offer. The offer had never been taken up.
In 2013, Australia announced it would not let refugees arriving by boat settle on its shores. Many of them were fleeing persecution and violence. In 2016 Australia and the US struck a deal where the US would take 1250 refugees from offshore centres.
In 2017, the deal was at the centre of a high-profile spat between then-President Trump and then Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull, with Trump reportedly hanging up on the Australian PM and calling it a "dumb deal".
Australian officials said at the time New Zealand's offer may be considered once the US deal was done.
Various reasons have been given for Australia to not take up the offer, including that some people may use New Zealand as a 'backdoor' to get into Australia, with New Zealand previously not willing to place additional rules on refugees with former deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters saying it could create two-tier of citizenship.
SHARE ME