Australia’s Multi-Billion Dollar Deportation Deal Exposed – Shocking Truth Behind Nauru Pact Revealed
Australia’s Albanese government has been accused of secrecy over a deportation deal with Nauru that will cost taxpayers a staggering $2.5 billion over three decades. The government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Pacific nation, offering more than $400 million upfront and then $70 million each year to deport hundreds of former immigration detainees.
The deal, which was revealed during a late-night parliamentary inquiry, has sparked outrage among critics who argue that the government is prioritizing the deportation of non-citizens over the welfare of Australian citizens. Under the agreement, up to 354 former detainees, including convicted criminals, will be transferred to Nauru, a tiny Pacific island with a population of just 12,000.
Immigration officials reluctantly confirmed the massive cost of the deal, which has been shrouded in secrecy. Greens senator David Shoebridge, who questioned officials during the inquiry, described the agreement as “secret” because it was not available to the public.
In a dramatic twist, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was pressed over the lack of detail made public about the deal. When asked about the agreement, Albanese responded, “We have arrangements between governments and those arrangements are ones we enter into across the board.” However, critics argue that the government’s lack of transparency is unacceptable, given the massive cost to taxpayers.
The deal comes as the government faces criticism over its treatment of a 65-year-old Iraqi man who is fighting deportation to Nauru. The man, who was released from immigration detention in October 2024, is one of three people who will be sent to Nauru under laws that allow non-citizens to be sent to a third country if they cannot be deported to their home nation.
His lawyers argue that the man, who has lived through “untold horrors” of the Iraq war, faces indefinite separation from his wife and child, homelessness, and destitution in Australia. “Like every person, our client has a right to live in safety and dignity,” said Laura John, associate legal director at the Human Rights Law Centre. “The government has refused at every stage of this process to consider the lifelong consequences of permanently exiling an elderly man to Nauru.”
The controversy surrounding the deportation deal and the treatment of the Iraqi man has sparked widespread outrage, with many calling for greater transparency and accountability from the government. As the debate rages on, one thing is clear: the human cost of this deal will be felt for generations to come.