The behaviour of refugees at the regional processing centre on Manus Island hit the floor of Parliament this afternoon.
Rabaul MP, Dr Alan Marat in a serious of questions directed to Foreign Affairs Minister Rimbink Pato questioned the measures taken by his department to deal with refugees’ behaviour which is causing disharmony with the locals.
He said refugees are roaming freely in Lorangau town and the surrounding villages causing a lot of social problems, giving an example of the rape of a local high school girl.
Marat asked about the status of the Supreme Court ruling on the facility established by the Australia Government to process people seeking refuge in Australia by boat.
Foreign Affairs Minister Rimbink Pato in response said, “Because there is a series of questions and there is a Supreme Court ruling on it I will make a detail statement this week (in Parliament).”
He went on to support the operations of the facility.
“The management of the refugee resettlement facility is not in a mess, it is professionally managed by competent people from within our Immigration and Citizenship Services Authority and also with the support of the Australian Government, as well as other agencies of United Nations, including the International Office of Migration which is looking at repatriation and resettlement of a number of asylum refugees,” Pato said.
Parliament was adjourned to 10am tomorrow.