Kurdish-Iranian refugee and writer Behrouz Boochani has labelled Australia's nearly decade-long delay in resettling refugees a "tragedy" as independent Senator Jacqui Lambie accused the government of "intimidation" in secret negotiations to secure the New Zealand deal.
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said on Thursday that New Zealand will accept 150 refugees from Australia's regional processing facilities every year, for three years.
While a total of 450 refugees detained by Australia will benefit from the deal, many will miss out.
According to the Refugee Council of Australia, there are 1,168 refugees and asylum seekers in Australia, 112 in Nauru and 104 in Papua New Guinea.
Mr Boochani expressed his disappointment over the Australian government's delay in accepting the offer brought forward by New Zealand in 2013.
"Nine years is too many, it is really unbelievable that that happened, but that is the reality, it is a tragedy ... that refugees are facing," he told SBS News.
Mr Boochani praised New Zealand, refugees, and activists for securing the long-awaited deal.
"I look at it as an achievement for refugees and also for civic society, for people who have been fighting against this system and also I look at it as an achievement for New Zealand to accept refugees," he said.
'Sorry I couldn't make it happen sooner'
Mr Boochani's comments came as Senator Lambie accused Prime Minister Scott Morrison of being "intimidating" during negotiations over so-called "medevac" laws and the then-secret New Zealand refugee resettlement deal in 2019.
She alleged Mr Morrison told her she could be jailed if she disclosed details of the negotiations.
"So for the sake of humanity, I had no other choice but to shut up anyway to make sure that job was done," she told Channel Nine on Friday.
"There was no need to do that because I already knew, quite clearly, if anything was said that deal would be off and all those people would be sitting on Nauru," she said.
"I was in the room that day and I can tell you now what was said was intimidating. I spent 10 years in the Army. It takes a lot to intimidate me."
In late 2018, legislation was passed against the government’s will, making it easier for refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus Island to be transferred to Australia for medical treatment.
In 2019, though, the medevac laws were revoked with the support of Senator Lambie who held a crucial vote.
At the time, the Tasmanian senator was accused of reaching a secret deal with the government for her support but, on Friday, the senator said she had chosen to support the repeal of medevac laws "in exchange" for the then-secret resettlement deal for refugees.
"The decision to repeal Australia's medevac laws was the hardest I've ever had to make in my political career," she said in a statement posted on Twitter.
"In the end I decided to support it. Not for nothing. I did it because I thought, on balance, that medevac gave me leverage to get people out of offshore detention, to let them move on with their lives after years in limbo.
"I agreed to repeal medevac in exchange for an end to offshore detention. An end which, when secured, would mean we wouldn't have a need for medevac.
"I ended up with an agreement with the government I couldn't disclose. For years I held up my end of the agreement. Yesterday, the government held up their end".
'Long overdue'
Australian Lawyers Alliance's human rights spokesperson Barrister Greg Barns said the resettlement deal was welcome "but long overdue".
“The government’s refusal to accept this offer almost a decade ago has resulted in enormous physical and mental harm to thousands of refugees and asylum seekers stuck in Australia’s cruel detention regime."
Mr Boochani spent six years in Manus Island Detention Centre after fleeing Iran in 2013 and extensively documented the realities of a refugee in his award-winning book, No Friends but the Mountains.
In 2020 he was granted a protection visa in New Zealand. After seeing the treatment of other refugees, described his new country as one that "cares about human rights".
"I'm sure [NZ immigration] is a system established on human rights ... The refugees who come here will get support in this country and this society is capable of supporting refugees," he said.
Mr Boochani urged the Australian government to expedite the processing of these visas to ensure refugees are able to begin their new lives as soon as possible.
But Ms Andrews said she could not provide a time frame on when refugees will resettle in New Zealand.
"I am hopeful that we can have the finalisation of the details around this program as soon as possible, and we look forward to people being resettled in New Zealand," Ms Andrews told reporters on Thursday.
"The important thing is that this agreement has now been reached, it has now been finalised and we will proceed immediately to operationalise this agreement."
Kurdish-Iranian refugee Mostafa "Moz" Azimitabar spent eight years in Australian offshore detention - first on Christmas Island, then in two Melbourne hotels - until he was released in 2021.
Mr Azimitabar said Australia's arrangement to allow refugees to be resettled in New Zealand, announced on his birthday, was the "best present ever".
"Today is an incredible victory for human rights & shows that the [government] cannot ignore people power!" he wrote on Twitter.
Thanush Selvarasa, who was also detained on Christmas Island and Nauru until his release in 2021, said Australia's acceptance of this deal is "wonderful".
"This is a very important day in our lives, we have been suffering for nine years, this is our future and dream," Mr Selvarasa said.
Mr Selvarasa acknowledged the current resettlement deal only includes refugees who are in Australian and Nauru detention, leaving those in Manus Island with no resettlement support.
"[The governments] also have to involve PNG people and people transferred under the Medevac law, we are all in the same situation. Everyone needs permanent resettlement," he said.
Ms Andrews reiterated that people who arrive illegally by boat will "never, ever" resettle in Australia.
"Anyone who is part of the resettlement arrangement with New Zealand, will not be able to come to Australia permanently, will not be able to become a citizen of Australia and will not be able to stay here on a permanent basis," she said.
