Posted Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:02pm AEDT
Photo: Chris Bowen says the Government needs to specify how long asylum seekers will wait on Nauru. (ABC News: Rod Henshaw)
Related Story: 525 asylum seekers arrive amid protests
The Prime Minister has defended the Government's approach to the no-advantage test for asylum seekers after a Coalition attack on the issue.
Opposition immigration spokesperson Scott Morrison says the Government has failed to clearly explain how the principle will impact on the length of time asylum seekers will spend in offshore centres.
Ms Gillard says the Government is following the Houston expert panel's advice regarding how long asylum seekers will wait in offshore centres.
The panel recommended the no-advantage principle to ensure asylum seekers arriving by boat would get the same treatment as those waiting under regional processing arrangements.
"We are determined to implement the full recommendations of the Houston review," Ms Gillard said.
"It said it should be done in discussions with the UNHCR.
"The aim here is to define what is the period of time someone would have waited if they had not moved but had stayed where they were for processing by the UNHCR."
Mr Morrison says the Government needs to stop being "mealy-mouthed" and specify how long asylum seekers will have to wait.
"There needs to be a simple blunt message that goes out to the region otherwise it is unintelligible," he said.
Mr Morrison says asylum seekers would wait about five years on Nauru if the Coalition was in government.
However, Nauru's foreign minister Kieren Keke says his country would undertake the processing "in the period of time that it requires".
Mr Keke says the processing centre on the Pacific island will soon be able to process women and children asylum seekers.
The Naruan government has been reluctant for women and children to be sent to the offshore processing centre until the facilities were improved.
Mr Keke says those issues are being addressed and women and children will be able to be processed within two months.
"As I understand it, I think that we should have some of the permanent facilities up within, I guess you couldn't say weeks, maybe within the next month or two," he said.
Refugee groups have raised concerns about legal representation for asylum seekers at the processing centre.
A Refugee Status Review Tribunal will be set up in Nauru for asylum seekers to appeal to if their applications for protection visas are denied.
Asylum seekers who are knocked back by the tribunal, can take their claims to the Australian courts.
Mr Keke says foreign lawyers are expected to fly to the island to help asylum seekers.
"The expectation is that they would be primarily from Australia, but it wouldn't necessarily be limited to Australian lawyers," he said.
"They would work with Nauru-based counsel or pleaders to provide full-time on-island representation during their absence."
Manus threats
Meanwhile, landowners on Manus Island are threatening to disrupt the operation of the Government's second asylum seeker processing centre
The processing centre is now ready to accommodate 150 asylum seekers, with the first group expected to arrive from Christmas Island by the end of the month.
Australian Defence Force engineers have cut back the jungle that had taken over the site and refurbished the rundown buildings.
Local landowners are concerned by the rapid pace of work and have demanded to be involved in the building and servicing of the the centre.
One local, Chawi Konabe, says landowners will consider disrupting road and airport access if they are not involved.
"If worse comes to worse we may stop these services," he said.
In the past few days the service providers appointed by the Australian Government have arrived, like multinational security company G4S.
The Government is trying to assure people the current site is temporary and locals will be involved in establishing a permanent processing centre.
It plans to eventually accommodate 600 asylum seekers at the processing centre.
Gillard defends asylum no-advantage test - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
