Austalia’s Immigration Minister Peter Dutton met PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill in Port Moresby on Wednesday on talks about shutting down the centre, following a PNG Supreme Court ruling it was illegal.
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“A series of options are being advanced and implemented”, Mr O’Neill said.
Mr O’Neill said a number of options for closing down the centre were being canvassed and further announcements would be made soon.
“The Manus Regional Processing Centre is under the management and administration of the PNG Government”, a spokesman for Mr Dutton replied.
“Today I held productive discussions on the future of the Regional Processing Centre on Manus Island with Prime Minister the Hon”.
“It is important that this process is not rushed but carried out in a careful manner”, O’Neill said.
Asylum seekers at Delta compound in Manus Island Detention Centre.
The camp first opened in 2001 under Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
Manus Island was reopened in November 2012 by the Labor Government.
“It is also the case that the government has not resiled from its position that people who have attempted to come illegally by boat to Australia and who are now in the Manus facility will not be settled in Australia”.
United Nations agencies and rights groups have criticised conditions at the camp and say Australia is shirking its responsibilities towards refugees and migrants. This latest statement appears to be an acknowledgement from both PNG and Australia of the Supreme Court’s decision.
There were 847 asylum seekers at Manus Island Regional Processing Centre on May 31.
But the Supreme Court ruled this amendment was unconstitutional, as it did not meet a requirement to respect “the rights and dignity of mankind”.
Mr Dutton confirmed that the over 960 people still on Manus Island will “under no circumstances” be resettled in Australia he added that it’s important that people in the detention centre ‘hear this message’.
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Both then released statements saying they are committed to the centre’s closure.
