{{People arriving by boat to seek asylum will no longer be resettled in Australia but will go to Papua New Guinea, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced.}}<\/p>\n
The news came as Mr Rudd set out an overhaul of asylum policy ahead of a general election expected shortly.<\/p>\n
Australia has seen a sharp rise in the number of asylum-seekers arriving by boat in recent months.<\/p>\n
Mr Rudd said the “hard-line decision” was taken to ensure border security.<\/p>\n
The prime minister, who ousted Julia Gillard as Labor Party leader amid dismal polling figures last month, made the announcement in Brisbane flanked by the PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.<\/p>\n
“From now on, any asylum-seeker who arrives in Australia by boat will have no chance of being settled in Australia as a refugee,” Mr Rudd said.<\/p>\n
Under the agreement, new arrivals will be sent to PNG for assessment and settled there if found to be a refugee.<\/p>\n
To accommodate the new arrivals, an offshore processing centre in PNG’s Manus island will be significantly expanded.<\/p>\n
No cap has been placed on the number of people Australia can send to PNG, Mr Rudd said.<\/p>\n
The prime minister said the move was aimed at dissuading people from making the dangerous journey to Australia by boat.<\/p>\n
“Our country has had enough of people-smugglers exploiting asylum-seekers and seeing them drown on the high seas,” he said.<\/p>\n
BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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