The former US deputy secretary of state Heather Higginbottom, who negotiated the deal designed to take refugees from offshore detention on Manus Island and Nauru, makes the revelation in a Time magazine article. Turnbull also falsely claimed that people held in Australia’s offshore detention centres were “economic refugees”. Higginbottom, who is now the chief operating officer of the aid organisation Care, singled out the “policy of detention” as the aspect of Australia’s policy rejected by the Obama administration. The United Nations has called Australia’s policy of offshore detention of asylum seekers unjustifiably punitive and unlawful, “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”. Turnbull explained that Australia turned back boats at sea and sent asylum seekers to offshore detention “not because they are bad people” but rather to prevent people-smugglers of a “product”.

Source: The Guardian August 13, 2017 01:30 UTC