A retired Australian judge has offered to swap places with a refugee held by Canberra in one of its offshore detention centres in Nauru or Papua New Guinea.
Protestors call for an end to Australia's offshore detention camps at a protest outside Parliament in Wellington on 25 August. Photo: RNZI/Sally Round
Jim Macken, who is 88 years old, told The Guardian that he wrote to the government but received no reply.
Mr Macken said the Australian government was essentially treating refugees in these camps as human shields which he said was utterly immoral.
He said as this was being done in his name he could not remain silent.
However, the Australian policy is staunchly defended by the newly re-elected government and is also backed by the opposition Labor Party.