David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I'm going to read out the transcript of an interview between President Adeang of Nauru and Joanna Olsson of the Nauru Government Information Office. This interview was posted to Facebook on 17 February 2025 and has been translated by an independent translator. My thanks to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre for providing this copy.

Question:

GoodAfternoon Your Excellency, thisnews that Nauru has entered a newagreement with Australia where itstates that we willbe accepting non-citizens from Australiaknown as the NZYQ.

Who are these NZYQ?

Answer:

Um, It does not matter as much what they are called, what does matter is what type of people they are.

The particular group Australia is asking us to take are not people of Australia.

They are in Australia, they have committed a crime, served their time in jail and are now out and living within the communities of Australia.

Now leading their lives not unlike any other person living in Australia.

Now, Australia has been trying to return them to their home countries and have been unable to for multiple reasons.

Because they are unable to, Nauru and Australia have joined into a partnership, due to our history where we have been able to home people on our land; like people who sought asylum or those that are refugees.

To clarify, these people are not refugees.

They are regular people but their background or their history is that they have been to jail.

These days, they are free to roam around Australia and while they are no longer under penalties but they are not of that place and despite Australia's preference to send them home, they are unable to.

So that is what we have entered into, we will help Australia and take these people and allow them to live among us.

Question:

Regardingthisagreement,thisisgreatforAustraliaasfaras protectingtheircommunities.Wein Nauru, have wereached apoint where wecantake care of people likethis?

Answer:

We have looked at every corner of this arrangement.

This has been going on since last year.

It is not like we slept and woke up and got asked something big.

We have thought about it since last year that it is not unlike the RPC arrangement that we are still undergoing here at home.

If we remember, the people that have come here under the RPC arrangement are not without their own history, they have come from war-torn areas.

Some have taken lives, some have abused people and when they have come here, they have not interfered with anything.

They have just come here, they live their way.

They want to just continue their lives because we are a country and a people that are peaceful.

That is also our attitude at the moment, we say that these people that are coming, there are some that are just going to want to continue their lives and will want to build their lives up in a peaceful way, just like each and every one of us.

Question:

The visa they have, how is it different to the one we are offering to the RPC cohort? How long are they going to be in Nauru and what are the rules of their visa?

Answer:

When they are given the visa, it is clear to all of us that we have given them a place here. 35 If we say 30 years, then 30 years is what they are given.

Unless of course, we, your government, find a way for them to move around, for example; they get to go home.

The problem now is, Australia cannot return them home, these people are what you would refer to as stateless.

Their homelands do not want them and they do not have a way to go home.

And if over time we find a way to return them home then of course they will not reach the 30 years. But the Visa we are providing them to start is 30 years.

It's the same as everyone we brought in during RPC, they can work, we also encourage them to work, so they can feel like they contribute to our community, nothing will be stopping them.

But they will have a 30 year Visa rather than the shorter visas and that's the only difference. Otherwise, they are also subject to the laws of Nauru.

If they break the laws of our home, they will follow our normal legal process. Taking them to court, sending them to jail if needed, fining them if needed.

We are anticipating that now that we are talking, it is not like they are breaking the laws in Australia but Australia does not want them because they are not from there.

So we will take them for the time being,

We are not anticipating that they are wanting to come here and break laws, they just want to continue their lives.