Confirmation that the deportation of people currently on Manus Island will commence this month is deeply concerning and represents a breach of Australia’s non-refoulement obligations, according to the Edmund Rice Centre.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s announcement that Australia will permanently maintain its annual humanitarian intake of 18,750 is a good start - but must not mask the ‘elephant in the room’ that is the desperate plight of refugees on Manus Island and Nauru.

Australia is well positioned to accept and accommodate refugees from the processing centres in Nauru and on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea (PNG).  However, accomodating such a large number of people in either Nauru or PNG presents insurmountable challenges.