Transcript
AMBROSE PEREIRA: The issue of health, the issue of employment, the issue of land. For Melanesians as well as Papua New Guinea land - your bond with land - and if you are a foreigner, and we have 37 plus two babies that have been born.
DON WISEMAN: So these problems in terms of land, employment and whatever else - integration. Are they surmountable in PNG?
AP: The fact is that PNG as a country itself cannot handle their issues for their own people. It is unable in a way to handle employment, health, education, for their own people. Imagine when you have people from outside. How do you cater for them? How do you provide health for example, or education or employment especially to foreigners. So this was another that emerged very clearly - while we are open and we would welcome them, we cannot cater to them because we are unable to cater to our own people.
DW: So what happens to them in the meantime?
AP: The question is now is whose responsibility it is. And clearly stated was 'we as a people are ready to help', we are ready to help Australia and we are ready to help the people but perhaps Australia really needs to take up their responsibility very seriously and say, OK , we have brought them in, we need to settle, we need to re-settle them. This was only a processing facility and supposed to be for a little over a year - it's now six years nearly. So that emerged very clearly. And while Australia would hide behind the fact, saying it is now the problem of Papua New Guinea, and they also issued a statement before the panel ' We are ready to help PNG and this is an issue for PNG to handle - but I think what was stated very clearly was Australia needs to put an end to this because it is an issue they have in fact started.
DW: In the meantime the health of these people is suffering , they are suffering quite significantly and there is an impact on the community itself, isn't there, so there is a need isn't there for someone to step and really take charge of this, someone in Papua New Guinea with some standing.
AP: There should be a statement and we have set a deadline, hopefully Christmas, and that would be a Christmas gift first of all to the refugees, second to Papua New Guinea and hopefully to Australia.
DW: What is the Christmas present you are hoping for?
AP: We are hoping for an end to this refugee situation where all will be sent into Australia or to any other country but it needs to be Australia's responsibility to ensure that this happens. While we can issue the statement it is up to PNG to ensure this is carried forward, and it is up to Australia also to fulfil it
