Turnbull should accept Ardern’s refugee offer

New Zealand and Australian prime ministers have been consistent for years on the prospect of resettling asylum seekers from Australian detention centres to New Zealand. On the Kiwi side, John Key and now Jacinda Ardern have both offered to take 150 of the refugees. On the Australian side, Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, Tony Abbott and now Malcolm Turnbull have all turned them down.

Ardern renewed the offer when she met Turnbull on her first trip to Australia as Prime Minister yesterday. Turnbull’s response was thanks, but no thanks – at least not until the fate of 1250 refugees in a possible resettlement deal with the United States is resolved.

The difficulty with his answer is that the situation on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea in particular has become dire, and urgent, following the closure of the detention centre there last week. Six hundred men are refusing to leave, despite the necessities of life being denied to them, because they fear a lack of protection in temporary accommodation outside the wire following previous ill-treatment from locals. They are collecting rainwater and digging wells just to have water to drink.

Australia fears that allowing some of them into New Zealand will undermine the so-called Pacific Solution to deter people attempting to reach Australia by boat. The policy instead transports them to offshore detention centres, not allowing them to touch the mainland.

There are also worries that resettlement in New Zealand will allow individuals to gain access to Australia eventually, by taking New Zealand citizenship and using the Anzac nations’ reciprocal travel rights.

The Pacific Solution stains Australia’s reputation. The centres have been plagued by instances and allegations of human rights abuses, violence, sexual abuse, medical neglect, suicide and self-harm. They have been condemned by the United Nations and Amnesty International.

In Turnbull’s view, Australia needs a tough border policy to stop ill-fated asylum seekers drowning at sea, and New Zealand benefits from it. It is not a dilemma that we have to face, because no boats have ever made it this far. So, Kiwis should not claim any moral high ground over this. Even with the Labour-led government’s pledge to increase our annual refugee quota from 1000 to 1500, our commitment is a fraction of Australia’s, which takes close to 18,000 on humanitarian grounds each year – just not those who come by boat.

But New Zealand has done the right thing in the past, notably taking off Australia’s hands 131 people rescued by the MV Tampa from an overcrowded fishing boat in 2001. Resettled in New Zealand and allowed to bring in their families, Tampa refugees have become doctors, civil engineers, lawyers, police officers, nurses, architects and business owners, employing others. About two dozen in the trades worked on the Christchurch rebuild.

There is no reason to believe that asylum seekers from Manus Island would not make similarly good Kiwis, although they will need mental health support following long incarceration in harsh conditions.

Australia can still close the back door to any who become New Zealand citizens. The special category visa usually granted to Kiwis entering Australia is not guaranteed – criminals and people with tuberculosis, for example, can be excluded.

Turnbull should accept Ardern’s offer. This isn’t just about deterring boat people now, but alleviating human suffering.