This statement provides an update on Operation Sovereign Borders (OSB) activities related to the on-water reception and processing of illegal maritime arrivals (IMAs).
The reporting period is from 1 June 2020 to 30 June 2020.
During this reporting period there were no IMAs transferred from a regional processing country to Australia for medical purposes or were an accompanying family member.
During this reporting period, OSB intercepted no illegal maritime ventures and returned no potential illegal immigrants.
No IMAs were transferred from Australia to a regional processing country.
No IMA detainees, who arrived in Australia before 1 January 2014, were voluntarily removed from Australia. No IMA detainees were involuntarily removed from Australia to their country of origin, consistent with Australia’s obligations.
The AFP arrested two people in Newcastle and Cairns on 23 June 2020 for their alleged involvement in an attempted maritime people smuggling venture in January 2020, which was intercepted by OSB. Both men were charged with one count each of facilitated the entry of a group of five or more unlawful non-citizens into Australia, contrary to section 233C of the Migration Act 1958. They appeared in court on 23 and 24 June 2020 respectively and have been remanded in custody.
No IMAs voluntarily returned to their country of origin from a regional processing country.
As at 30 June 2020, there were no people in the Nauru Regional Processing Centre (RPC). The Manus RPC closed on 31 October 2017.
The processing of refugee claims are matters for the governments of PNG and Nauru.
