A ustralia's ‘ P acific S olution’: Issues for the P acific I slands

In 2013, the R udd L abor G overnment introduced a new version of the ‘ P acific S olution’ to A ustralia's ‘problem’ with increasing numbers of asylum‐seekers arriving by boat. The new version not only included the transfer of asylum‐seekers to N auru and M anus I sland in P apua N ew G uinea, it crucially involved the resettlement in these P acific I sland countries of those found to be refugees and introduces long‐term detention for those who are not successful and who do not decide to return to their original countries. Following the 2013 election, the A bbott C oalition G overnment fully embraced the new ‘ P acific S olution’. This deeper level of incorporation of P apua N ew G uinea and N auru in A ustralia's asylum‐seeker policy raises a range of issues not only for these two P acific I sland countries but also for the broader P acific islands region whose name is invoked in the ‘ P acific S olution’.