Refugees and asylum seekers held by Australia in Papua New Guinea for 10 years will be evicted from their accommodation in a week – and have their groceries, medical and security services cut – because the bills for their accommodation, healthcare and food have not been paid for more than a year.
Many of the 64 men have been living without electricity, and some without food, for more than two weeks.
The Guardian understands the Australian-funded humanitarian program owes more than $50m to about a dozen PNG companies employed to provide services to the refugees and asylum seekers – such as security, transport, medicine, groceries and accommodation.
PNG’s humanitarian program – funded by Australia in a secret deal signed by the Morrison government – has been plagued by controversy, including allegations of neglect and systemic corruption.
The PNG government recently announced an inquiry into the program, after a whistleblower within PNG immigration authority alleged widespread corruption, fraud and nepotism, as well as political pressure being placed on police not to investigate malfeasance.
In a letter to PNG’s chief migration officer, Stanis Hulahau, on Thursday, seven service providers have alleged they had not been paid since 1 November 2022. The businesses – including main service provider Chatswood, run by former PNG deputy prime minister Moses Maladina – said all services to refugees and asylum seekers will be cut off next Thursday, 23 November.
“All access to services provided by us will cease from this date, which include the accommodation that they currently occupy, all transport services, payments of allowance, security services, provision of food and grocery vouchers and provision of immigration advice and client connect services.
“We regret the necessity of such action and would all prefer to work in an open and collaborative manner. But the many assurances we have received of payment being imminent has not yielded any result, and as such our collective ability to work in trust has been diminished.”
The Australian and PNG governments agree the multimillion dollar contract to support the refugees and asylum seekers has been exhausted. But there is accord on little else. Both governments claim the other is responsible for funding the ongoing support of those still held.
The Australian government claims it funded the humanitarian program in full to finalise the resettlement of all refugees in PNG or in third countries, and that those remaining are now the responsibility of the PNG government.
But PNG’s immigration authority said the resettlement of refugees has been much slower than forecast, largely delayed by Covid border closures. As a result, more refugees and asylum seekers remain dependent on Australian-funded support.
Hulahau, PNG’s chief migration officer, told the Guardian: “Services are currently being provided to the refugees and non-refugees while we continue to work with [Australia’s] home affairs [department] for funding.”
But one refugee facing eviction said he feared “the situation will get only worse”.
“If they kick out the refugees from our accommodation, there is no place for us to go,” he said speaking anonymously. “It is so stressful, no one knows what will happen, but I think something bad is going to come.”
The 64 refugees and asylum seekers still held in Port Moresby are the final cohort remaining from Australia’s unlawful offshore processing regime in PNG.
Most of the men arrived in Australia by boat seeking asylum in 2013 and 2014, before they were forcibly removed from Australia and sent to the Manus Island detention centre.
That Australian-run centre was illegal and the PNG supreme court ordered it shut in 2016. The men remain in PNG more than seven years later.
At the end of 2021, the then Morrison government in Australia signed a “confidential bilateral agreement” with the PNG government for PNG to provide funding for the housing and welfare of the men who remained.
Both the Australian and PNG governments argue it is not a secret agreement, but despite repeated questioning, will not reveal any details of the deal, nor how much it is worth. It is believed to be in excess of $100m. Australia has refused to disclose any information at all saying the information would do “damage to the international relations of the commonwealth [of Australia]”.
About 40 of the 64 men are expected to be resettled in New Zealand, although progress on the resettlement deal has been slow.
A group of about 16 has been identified as suffering acute mental and physical health problems and are set to be brought to Australia for medical treatment.
Fewer than 10 of the refugees and asylum seekers have expressed a desire to stay in PNG – most of those have married PNG nationals and have families.
