Julia Gillard turns to Pacific Solution in Papua New Guinea

Rowan Callick and Paul Maley 

The Gillard government is poised to revive one of the most controversial elements of the Howard government's Pacific Solution, with Port Moresby expected to agree to host a refugee processing centre in Papua New Guinea.

As pressure mounts on Labor to deal with the asylum-seeker issue in the wake of a large influx of boats over the past three years and violent riots at detention centres in recent weeks, the Papua New Guinea cabinet is today expected to endorse a proposal submitted by Canberra for a centre to be located in the country.

One of the options is to open a detention centre on Manus Island, the site of the Howard government's so-called Pacific Solution.

In a clear sign the government's original proposal for a centre in East Timor has become an embarrassing failure, Immigration Department secretary Andrew Metcalfe and Richard Marles, the Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, travelled to Port Moresby this week for discussions with PNG officials. The visit followed concerted behind-the-scenes lobbying by Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, who pointedly refused to take carriage of the ill-fated East Timor solution announced by Julia Gillard in the lead-up to last year's election.

The Australian has been told the PNG cabinet will meet at 10am today to consider the formal Australian government request, which has yet to go to the Gillard cabinet, to set up a centre, either by reopening the Lombrum naval base on Manus island - which was used in that role from 2001 to 2004 - or by establishing a new centre. The Lombrum centre was administered, as part of the Howard government's Pacific Solution, by the International Organisation for Migration, as was the centre on Nauru. About 350 asylum-seekers were processed on Manus Island.

The decision to approach PNG is a major about-face for Labor, which was scathing of the Pacific Solution when in opposition.

As recently as last year, then immigration minister Chris Evans attacked the Howard government's two offshore processing centres. "John Howard's Pacific Solution saw 1637 people, including more than 450 children, left to rot on Nauru and Manus Island for years and years on end," a spokesman for Senator Evans said at the time. "All the Pacific Solution did was inhumanely delay hundreds of refugees from resettling in, and contributing to, the Australian community."

Last night, the secretary of Papua New Guinea's Foreign Ministry, Michael Maue, confirmed that discussions about a processing centre were under way.

"At the moment, the matter is still under consideration, at least from our side," Mr Maue told The Australian.

"It is a matter that is with our political leaders now." Mr Maue said that if Papua New Guinea, which is a signatory to the UN Convention on Refugees, did agree to host a centre, it might not be built at Manus Island.

"It may be Manus, it may be elsewhere," he said.

A spokesman for the Immigration Department also confirmed Mr Metcalfe's visit, but gave no details other than to say the secretary was progressing "the outcomes of the Bali process" on people-smuggling.

It is understood that Mr Rudd last month visited PNG Prime Minister Michael Somare in Singapore, where he is still recovering from heart surgery, and won his backing for the reopening of an Australian-run processing centre.

The Foreign Minister is also believed to be planning a brief visit of a few hours to Port Moresby later this month, as a side trip from a visit to north Queensland.

This would provide the opportunity for more detailed discussions on the processing centre plans. Last night, sources in Port Moresby confirmed Foreign Ministry officials were preparing for a flying visit by Mr Rudd.

However, there was dispute about the degree of influence attributed to the Foreign Minister, with senior Australian government sources insisting that although Mr Rudd discussed the idea with with Sir Michael, the deal was effectively done by Mr Metcalfe, who secured in-principle agreement during his visit.

Mr Rudd has developed a close relationship with the veteran PNG leader, including by making PNG his first overseas visit as prime minister.

Australia followed up Mr Rudd's discussion with the visits by Mr Metcalfe and Mr Marles.

Their lengthy meetings with PNG ministers and officials have triggered the calling of a special cabinet meeting today, which will be chaired by Acting Prime Minister Sam Abal.

In the past, Sir Michael has not always won support from his own cabinet, but in this case it appears likely that even in his absence, the proposal will be accepted.

Provincial Affairs Minister Joe Pomat, who represents Manus, PNG's smallest province, has been strongly supportive of reopening the Lombrum centre there, arguing that it would lift the island's struggling economy - a lift that would be especially well timed with the national election coming in the middle of next year.

The annual joint ministerial forum between the two countries is scheduled for Canberra next month, which would also be well timed for further, more detailed discussions if the PNG cabinet gives the go-ahead today.

The PNG option crucially meets one of the main tests applied by the Gillard government for a processing centre: that it be in a country that is a signatory to the UN convention on refugees.

This was the government's principal reason for rejecting Nauru.

For decades, PNG has housed camps containing thousands of refugees from the neighbouring Indonesian province of Papua, administered by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Sir Michael's spokeswoman said last year when the Timor centre was proposed that Lombrum had not been a truly regional centre but "an internal Australian matter, as these asylum-seekers generally want asylum in Australia". When the centre closed on Manus in 2004, Mr Abal, then foreign minister, said: "That part of history is over."

This article was first published at the Australian on the 6th of May 2011