Decention centre on Pacific island ‘ready to receive and process’ any new unauthorised maritime arrivals at an annual cost of $350m
The last refugee held by Australia on Nauru has been evacuated off the island, flying into Brisbane on Saturday night, marking the end – at least for now – of more than a decade of offshore processing on the Pacific island.
However the Australian government says it remains committed to offshore processing as a policy. It maintains an offshore detention centre in abeyance on the island, at an annual cost of $350m, which it says is “ready to receive and process any new unauthorised maritime arrivals”.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup
