The fate of around 900 asylum seekers on Manus Island hangs in the balance as Immigration Minister Peter Dutton struggles to explain why the government was ill-prepared for the detention centre's closure.
In a testy exchange with The Today Show's Karl Stefanovic, Mr Dutton insisted Tuesday's Supreme Court ruling and Papua New Guinea's subsequent decision to close the facility "hasn't taken us by surprise".
But he was unable to explain why the government had no immediate solution for the 900 men left in limbo on the island, more than half of whom have been assessed as genuine refugees.Advertisement
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull conceded on Wednesday the government did not have "a definitive road map" on what to do, just hours before PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announced the Manus Island facility would close and Australia would have to make "alternative arrangements" for the detainees.
But Mr Dutton told The Today Show on Thursday: "We've been anticipating the Supreme Court decision in PNG and we've been planning for this since late last year."
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says he and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull haven't been taken by surprise by the PNG decision to close Manus detention centre.
That prompted Stefanovic to ask Mr Dutton why the government seemed to have been blindsided by the ruling.
"It doesn't say much about your planning," he told the minister. "You say you've known for months this ruling was coming, and yesterday he said we have no road map. How long does it take the Prime Minister to come up with a road map?"
Mr Dutton then said Mr Turnbull had been "part of these discussions for a long period of time". The discussions involved Cabinet's National Security Committee, Operation Sovereign Borders Commander Andrew Bottrell, Immigration Department secretary Michael Pezzullo and the Australian Federal Police.
Cabinet reportedly met on Wednesday night to discuss the urgent situation, with PNG suggesting the centre could close almost immediately - just days away from the May 3 budget and a week before the anticipated start of the official election campaign.
Mr Dutton suggested refugees who were owed protection could be resettled in PNG or elsewhere in the region, while those whose applications had been rejected would be sent back to their country of origin. But those plans were subject to ongoing negotiations.
"They obviously want to come to Australia but we've been clear that they won't," he said. "We are negotiating with third countries, we'll continue our discussions with PNG."
Again, Stefanovic fired up. "You can't answer the question what happens," he told the minister. "You've been told that this facility's closing and you can't answer the question for what happens to those 850 asylum seekers."
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In a testy exchange with The Today Show's Karl Stefanovic, Mr Dutton insisted Tuesday's Supreme Court ruling and Papua New Guinea's subsequent decision to close the facility "hasn't taken us by surprise".
But he was unable to explain why the government had no immediate solution for the 900 men left in limbo on the island, more than half of whom have been assessed as genuine refugees.Advertisement
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull conceded on Wednesday the government did not have "a definitive road map" on what to do, just hours before PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announced the Manus Island facility would close and Australia would have to make "alternative arrangements" for the detainees.
But Mr Dutton told The Today Show on Thursday: "We've been anticipating the Supreme Court decision in PNG and we've been planning for this since late last year."
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says he and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull haven't been taken by surprise by the PNG decision to close Manus detention centre.
That prompted Stefanovic to ask Mr Dutton why the government seemed to have been blindsided by the ruling.
"It doesn't say much about your planning," he told the minister. "You say you've known for months this ruling was coming, and yesterday he said we have no road map. How long does it take the Prime Minister to come up with a road map?"
Mr Dutton then said Mr Turnbull had been "part of these discussions for a long period of time". The discussions involved Cabinet's National Security Committee, Operation Sovereign Borders Commander Andrew Bottrell, Immigration Department secretary Michael Pezzullo and the Australian Federal Police.
Cabinet reportedly met on Wednesday night to discuss the urgent situation, with PNG suggesting the centre could close almost immediately - just days away from the May 3 budget and a week before the anticipated start of the official election campaign.
Mr Dutton suggested refugees who were owed protection could be resettled in PNG or elsewhere in the region, while those whose applications had been rejected would be sent back to their country of origin. But those plans were subject to ongoing negotiations.
"They obviously want to come to Australia but we've been clear that they won't," he said. "We are negotiating with third countries, we'll continue our discussions with PNG."
Again, Stefanovic fired up. "You can't answer the question what happens," he told the minister. "You've been told that this facility's closing and you can't answer the question for what happens to those 850 asylum seekers."
SMH Read more:
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