Former Australian detainees taken to Nauru are facing threats of violence from officers who have recently gained new powers to use force, according to allegations revealed under parliamentary privilege.
Members of the NZYQ cohort have allegedly been labelled “absolute f***ing pieces of s***” and threatened with violence upon arrival by the officers tasked with their transfer and ongoing monitoring on Nauru under a 30-year deal struck with the Australian government.
The whistleblower claims, based on first-hand conversations with individuals involved, were read out under parliamentary privilege by independent MP Andrew Wilkie this morning.
“Another relevant individual indicated that those removed from Australia would, on arrival, face a reckoning, with justice in Nauru served on the streets rather than through formal channels,” Mr Wilkie read out in the Federation Chamber.
“I took this to mean that the removed cohort faced the risk of vigilante violence from those entrusted to safeguard their wellbeing in Nauru.”
Mr Wilkie read that the whistleblower stated they were speaking out of “grave concern” for the deportees’ safety, and they had repeatedly tried to raise concerns through appropriate channels, with “no evidence” that those concerns had been addressed.
It is understood 12 people have been issued Nauruan visas and deported to the tiny island nation so far, including an individual who is reliant on a wheelchair.
About 350 non-citizens, the majority convicted of serious offences, will be deported to Nauru under the deal, estimated to cost $2.5 billion over its lifetime.
Anthony Albanese and his Nauru counterpart, David Adeang, agreed to an estimated $2.5 billion deal to resettle former NZYQ detainees to the island nation. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore)
In March, the Nauru government passed new laws granting community monitoring officers special powers to restrain and use “reasonable force” against the deported individuals.
The whistleblower fears these laws “give legal authorisation to these threats of physical violence”.
The Nauru government has issued a rare statement attempting to clarify the conditions for the cohort under the arrangement.
“Those settled on Nauru are not refugees and are not detained,” the statement said.
“They have a Nauruan visa and as such have the same rights as any other resident.
“However unlike Nauruans, they are provided with accommodation, a fortnightly allowance, and free transport for shopping and other travel around the island.”
The government insisted that the cohort had access to facilities, employment opportunities and “a relaxed, Pacific way of life”.
“Many have purchased their own motorcycles so they don’t need to rely on the transport provided. They have access to all government facilities in Nauru including free health and medical services,” the statement said.
Advocates call on government to halt NZYQ deal
The third-country resettlement agreement covers former detainees who were released into the community after the High Court ruled in 2023 that indefinite detention of the cohort was illegal.
The NZYQ cohort, many of whom have Australian children or spouses, have all had their Australian visas cancelled on character grounds and cannot return to their home country.
It is understood that a further 37 people have been re-detained and are currently awaiting deportation to Nauru, with another nine issued visas but not yet detained.
Sanmati Verma, legal director at the Human Rights Law Centre, has urged the government to stop deportation and halt the deal in light of the whistleblower claims.
“The Albanese government is ripping people from their homes, away from their families in Australia, and deporting them to a country where it knows they face a lifetime of state-sanctioned violence,” Ms Verma said.
“The Albanese government has consistently sought to hide from the consequences of sending people to Nauru, whether it is medical neglect, lifelong family separation or sponsoring violence with billions of taxpayer dollars.
“As whistleblower testimony continues to pile up, it is time for the Albanese government to account for what it is doing in our name, with our money, and answer to the families and communities it has brutalised with its deportation powers.”
