Australia’s first deportation of a non-citizen to the Pacific island nation of Nauru under a new multibillion-dollar resettlement agreement has sparked sharp criticism from human rights authorities, who say the opaque transfer raises “serious human rights concerns.”
The deportation, the first carried out under a A$2.5 billion ($1.6 billion), 30-year deal signed last month, was confirmed by Nauru’s government but not detailed by Australian officials.
The agreement allows Nauru to host several hundred deported non-citizens with criminal records, reviving accusations that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s centre-left government is effectively outsourcing its immigration and refugee responsibilities to small island states.
“This secrecy exposes a disturbing lack of transparency and raises serious human rights concerns,” Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay said in a statement on Wednesday.
“As the UN Human Rights Committee has made clear, outsourcing the management of asylum seekers and refugees does not absolve a state of its legal responsibilities.”
The Australian Human Rights Commission, an independent watchdog, said it would scrutinize the deal’s compliance with international law.
Nauru’s government, led by recently re-elected President David Adeang, confirmed receiving A$388 million as part of the initial payment to host what it called a “special cohort” of deportees, each granted a 30-year visa.
The tiny island nation of 12,000 people, covering just 21 square kilometres (eight square miles), is heavily dependent on Australian aid and has long been part of Canberra’s offshore detention network for asylum seekers arriving by boat.
Under a separate component of the deal, Nauru will receive an annual A$20 million payment, of which $5.4 million will go toward managing the resettlement program.
The remainder will be allocated to domestic priorities such as healthcare, education, and school meals, Adeang told parliament last week.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke declined to confirm how many individuals had been transferred so far, but said around 20 visas had been issued. “When someone’s visa is cancelled, they should leave,” Burke said in a statement.
Nauru’s Internal Affairs Minister Tawaki Kam defended the agreement, saying the island was committed to the “humane, lawful” resettlement of migrants. “These settled persons will enjoy freedom of movement, equal treatment, and access to essential services,” he said.
Human rights advocates, however, have drawn parallels between the arrangement and controversial U.S. immigration policies under former President Donald Trump, accusing Canberra of “dumping” unwanted migrants in impoverished Pacific states.
Critics warn that the lack of transparency and limited oversight could expose deportees to legal and humanitarian risks in a country ill-equipped to handle large-scale resettlement.
The deal marks the latest chapter in Australia’s decade-old offshore processing policy, which denies asylum seekers arriving by sea the right to settle in Australia, a policy long condemned by the United Nations and global rights organizations.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
