Refugees [from Australia] to be given better conditions in Cambodia

Sarah Whyte

Immigration correspondent

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Refugees on Nauru will now be able to work and live anywhere they choose in poverty-stricken Cambodia after the International Organisation of Migration has agreed to resettle refugees in return for new, less strict conditions.

The IOM has stipulated that all refugees on Nauru, intially bound for Australia, can live or work where they desire in Cambodia and that it will also support refugees already living in the country who have sought asylum from neighbouring countries.

The agreement between the Australian and Cambodian governments, worth $40 million, had intially decided that asylum seekers would only be able to reside in Phnom Penh, the country's capital for one year before being forced to live and work in a rural area. Now, the IOM has reversed this decision after months of negotiations.

Refugees will also be offered access to health care, educational and employment opportunities and sufficient time to prepare to move to the impoverished nation.

No refugees on Nauru are yet to take up the offer of moving to Cambodia, but the IOM has said its cooperation will mean greater opportunities for all refugees in the country after reaching an agreement with the Australian, Cambodian and Nauruan governments on Monday.

The Australian government will pay for the IOM's assistance in resettling refugees, Senate Estimates heard on Monday night. 

But the immigration department could not give "definitive figures" on how much the Cambodian resettlement deal will ultimately cost.

"In regards to Cambodia, there hasn't been any funding allocated at this point in time," said Steven Groves, the department's Chief Finance Officer.

Senate Estimates also heard that during a high powered Australian delegation's visit to Nauru in January, no asylum seeker was spoken to.

Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, however, said that asylum seekers were aware that arrangements were being made to resettle in Cambodia; more details would follow and that it was voluntary.

Around 510 refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran have been living in the Nauruan community since their refugee status was confirmed by the Nauruan government. A further 895 asylum seekers, including 116 children, are currently being held in the Nauruan detention centre awaiting refugee status determination.