East Timor to house asylum seekers

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said talks were already under way with East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta to establish a processing centre. Photo / Getty Images

CANBERRA - The federal government has announced efforts are under way to set up a regional processing centre for asylum seekers in East Timor.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Tuesday said talks were already under way with East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta to establish a processing centre.

Ms Gillard said the move would ensure everyone was subject to a consistent fair assessment process.

"It would be to ensure that arriving by boat does not give anybody an advantage in the likelihood that they would end up settling in Australia or other countries in the region," she said.

Dr Ramos-Horta welcomed the conversation about the possibility of establishing a centre in East Timor.

"And I look forward to the consultation and dialogue on developing this initiative into a proposal," she said.

"In recent days I have discussed with President Ramos-Horta of East Timor the possibility of establishing a regional processing centre for the purpose of receiving and processing irregular entrants to the region," Ms Gillard said.

"The purpose would be to ensure that people smugglers have no product to sell."

Ms Gillard said she had also discussed the matter with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Ms Gillard said she had also spoken to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key about the possibility of a regional processing centre for asylum seekers.

"John said to me that he would be open to considering this initiative constructively," she said.

"East Timor and New Zealand are vital countries in this initiative, as they are already signatories to the refugee convention.

"And New Zealand, like Australia, is a key resettlement country."

Ms Gillard said she canvassed the idea with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres as well.

Ms Gillard said the government had decided to immediately lift the ban on the handling of Sri Lankan asylum claims, a ban due to be lifted on Thursday.

"The government has decided to lift immediately the suspension of processing claims for Sri Lankans."

A new framework for "orderly migration" in the region would take time, Ms Gillard said.

"I ask for the patience and support of the Australian people as we work with the countries of our region on this shared challenge," she said.

There had been a promising start to a new regional solution.

"A regional solution with the participation of the UNHCR could prevent the piling up of unauthorised arrivals in detention in Australia," she said.

"This is a solution I will pursue relentlessly."

Ms Gillard says she's made it clear to the UNHCR the policy is not about pursuing "a new Pacific Solution" or "a quick fix" approach.

"It is about stopping people getting in boats (and) improving the protection outcomes of refugees (through) a framework for orderly migration.

"It will take time but I believe it will be worth the effort."

Ms Gillard said Australia needed to leave the "incendiary" language behind.

"We are better than this," she said.

"The other way, the path less travelled in recent times, is the path to move us forward together.

"To discuss the facts, reject the myths and make our decisions on what we know to be true."

Ms Gillard said last year Australia received 0.6 per cent of the world's asylum seekers.

Refugees made up less than eight per cent of migrants accepted into the country.

"This is a fraction of our annual migration intake," Ms Gillard said.

The prime minister also insisted it was mainly push factors - rather than pull factors - that drove people to flee their own countries.

"We should be prepared to accept people in legitimate need," she said.

"But there is nothing humane about a voyage across dangerous seas with the ever-present risk of death in leaky boats captained by people smugglers."

If re-elected, Labor would seek to increase penalties for people smuggling, Ms Gillard said.

Maximum penalties would be increased to cover people smuggling ventures that resulted in death.

Ms Gillard said so far this year more than 60 per cent of all asylum seekers arriving by boat had come from Afghanistan.

She said there was a time when a large number of Afghans were granted refugee status but since April more than 500 had been refused.

"During the past month the primary refusal rate has exceeded 70 per cent," she said.

"If upheld at review these increasing rates of refusal will result in many more people being returned to their homelands."

Ms Gillard said she wasn't immediately ending the halt in processing of Afghan asylum seekers but would keep that under review in coming weeks and months.

She said the government would work closely with the government of Afghanistan on a range of migration issues including implementing arrangements for the return of Afghans not found to be refugees.

"This process is essential for the integrity of our migration program and it's important for sending a clear message of deterrence to people smugglers and their clients that they cannot buy their way into Australia," she said.

The prime minister said she believed Australians were prepared to welcome genuine refugees but expected them to learn the rules under which the nation lives and abide by them.

"This means that when newcomers settle in our community they accept their responsibility as members of that community - to learn English, to get a job and send their kids to school like everyone else," Ms Gillard said.

"Most refugees fulfil these obligations and are grateful to be able to make a new home in this country.

"But the rules are the rules, we will ensure refugees shoulder the same obligations as Australians generally."

- AAP