Pacific / Papua New Guinea

Refugee advocate hopes Australia will compensate asylum seekers

13:35 pm on 29 December 2017

A refugee advocate in Australia says he is hopeful the Australia government will honor any compensation awarded to asylum seekers on Manus Island by the Papua New Guinea courts.

Ian Rintoul said Papua New Guinea was under a lot of pressure from the courts to compensate refugees and asylum seekers, and he understands Australia had already committed to assisting PNG to foot the bill.

Mr Rintoul said either way asylum seekers on Manus Island continue to protest for third country resettlement, and his organisation is seeking orders from the courts to try and make this happen.

"So in a previous supreme court decision the court was willing to make orders on the Australian government and the PNG government and we will be seeking similar orders this time."

"That the Australian government and the PNG government must facilitate safe third countries for all the people that were sent unlawfully to PNG," he said.