The Claim
“Defended the Manus Island scheme during a press conference about the man who was shot dead in our detention centres by claiming the government is 'ending the deaths' of asylum seekers. More refugees have died on Manus island than have been settled.”
Original Sources Provided
✅ FACTUAL VERIFICATION
The Manus Island Riot (February 2014):
The claim references the February 2014 riot at the Manus Island Regional Processing Centre that resulted in the death of Iranian asylum seeker Reza Barati. The riot occurred on February 17, 2014, when tensions at the detention facility escalated into violence. Barati suffered fatal head injuries during the disturbances. A subsequent Australian Senate inquiry found that the death was the result of a "brutal beating" and identified failures by the private security contractor G4S and insufficient oversight by Australian authorities.
The "Ending the Deaths" Statement:
The claim states that Tony Abbott defended the Manus Island scheme by claiming the government was "ending the deaths" of asylum seekers. This statement was made in the context of the government's broader justification for its "stop the boats" policy - arguing that preventing asylum seekers from attempting dangerous sea voyages to Australia would save lives at sea. The government frequently cited the approximately 1,200 deaths that had occurred at sea under the previous Labor government's watch as justification for its hardline offshore detention approach.
Deaths vs Resettlement Statistics:
By July 2015, multiple sources reported that more asylum seekers had died in detention on Manus Island than had been successfully resettled from the facility. At that time, there had been two confirmed deaths in the Manus Island detention centre (Reza Barati in February 2014 and Hamid Khazaei in September 2014, who died from a leg infection), while resettlement numbers remained extremely low.
Missing Context
The Labor Government's Role in Establishing Offshore Detention:
A critical piece of missing context is that the Manus Island Regional Processing Centre was actually established by the previous Labor Government, not the Coalition. The centre reopened in November 2012 under Prime Minister Julia Gillard's government. In July 2013, then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced the even more restrictive "PNG Solution" - declaring that no asylum seeker arriving by boat would ever be settled in Australia, and would instead be sent to Papua New Guinea for processing and resettlement there.
The "Stop the Deaths at Sea" Argument:
The claim omits the government's primary justification for the offshore detention policy: preventing deaths at sea. Under the previous Labor government (2007-2013), approximately 50,000 asylum seekers arrived by boat, and an estimated 1,200 people died attempting the dangerous voyage to Australia. The Coalition's policy - while harsh - was presented as a necessary measure to stop these deaths by removing the incentive for people smugglers.
The Regional Resettlement Framework:
The claim also doesn't acknowledge that the Manus Island arrangement was part of a broader regional framework that the Labor government had initiated, which the Coalition continued and expanded. The policy was designed to break the people smuggling model by ensuring that asylum seekers who arrived by boat would not gain an advantage over those waiting in refugee camps overseas.
Source Credibility Assessment
Sydney Morning Herald (SMH):
The Sydney Morning Herald is a mainstream Australian newspaper with a reputation for factual reporting. While generally considered center-left in its editorial stance, its news reporting is typically fact-based and professional. As a Fairfax Media publication (now part of Nine Entertainment), it is one of Australia's major broadsheet newspapers.
Brisbane Times:
The Brisbane Times is also a Fairfax Media/Nine Entertainment online news outlet. It shares editorial standards with the SMH and The Age. The article referenced appears to be citing a report from the Refugee Action Coalition, which is an advocacy organization with a clear pro-asylum seeker stance.
Assessment:
Both sources are mainstream media outlets, but readers should be aware that the Brisbane Times article cites an advocacy group (Refugee Action Coalition) rather than independent government data. The specific claim about more deaths than resettlements needs to be understood in the context of resettlement being a slow process that had only begun when the statistics were reported.
Labor Comparison
Did Labor do something similar?
Yes - and this is crucial context. The Manus Island detention centre was opened under the Labor Government in November 2012. The offshore detention policy on Nauru was also reinstated by Labor in August 2012 after it had been closed by the previous Howard Government.
In July 2013, Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced the "PNG Solution" - the policy that no asylum seeker arriving by boat would ever be settled in Australia. This was the foundational policy that the Coalition continued and implemented.
Key Differences:
While both parties supported offshore detention, the Coalition's implementation was arguably more restrictive and better resourced. Under Labor, boats continued to arrive at high rates (though declining toward the end of their term), while under the Coalition's "Operation Sovereign Borders," boat arrivals effectively stopped within months of implementation.
Deaths at Sea Under Labor:
Under Labor's watch (2007-2013), there were multiple tragic incidents including:
- The SIEV 221 tragedy (December 2010) - approximately 48 deaths
- The SIEV 358 incident (June 2012) - approximately 90 deaths
- Multiple smaller incidents totaling approximately 1,200 deaths at sea
This context is important because it explains the Coalition's justification for the harsh offshore detention policy - they were responding to a humanitarian crisis of deaths at sea that had occurred under the previous government.
Balanced Perspective
The Coalition's Position:
The Abbott Government argued that its policies, while harsh, were necessary to prevent deaths at sea. The "ending the deaths" statement referenced in the claim should be understood in this context - they were referring to stopping the deaths of approximately 1,200 people who had drowned attempting to reach Australia during the previous government's term.
From this perspective, the government viewed offshore detention as the lesser of two evils: yes, conditions in detention were poor (and the deaths of Barati and Khazaei were tragedies), but the policy had stopped the boats and thereby stopped deaths at sea.
Criticisms of the Policy:
Critics, including human rights organizations, United Nations bodies, and medical professionals, consistently raised concerns about:
- The conditions in offshore detention centres
- The mental health impacts of indefinite detention
- Australia's obligations under international refugee law
- The moral and ethical implications of outsourcing detention to other countries
The death of Reza Barati and the subsequent inquiry that found failures of oversight provided strong evidence that the policy was not being implemented safely.
The Resettlement Issue:
The claim that more refugees died than were resettled by July 2015 reflects a fundamental problem with the policy: resettlement was extremely slow. This was partly due to difficulties in negotiating resettlement agreements with third countries, and partly by design - the government wanted to ensure that asylum seekers who arrived by boat would not gain an advantage over those waiting in overseas refugee camps.
Key Context:
This is NOT unique to the Coalition. Labor established the offshore detention centres and implemented the "no advantage" principle. Both major Australian political parties have supported offshore detention since 2012, with the Coalition implementing it more effectively (in terms of stopping boat arrivals) but also facing similar criticisms regarding conditions and delays.
PARTIALLY TRUE
5.0
out of 10
The claim is factually accurate in that:
- Tony Abbott did defend the Manus Island scheme during a press conference about the death in detention
- By July 2015, more asylum seekers had died in the Manus Island detention centre (2 deaths) than had been resettled from it
However, the claim is MISLEADING because:
- It omits that the Manus Island centre was established by the previous Labor government
- It doesn't acknowledge that the "ending the deaths" statement referred to preventing deaths at sea (approximately 1,200 of which occurred under Labor)
- It lacks context about the bipartisan nature of offshore detention policy in Australia since 2012
- The resettlement comparison is somewhat misleading because resettlement had only begun and the numbers were expected to increase over time
The claim presents a one-sided narrative that suggests unique Coalition wrongdoing, when in reality this was a continuation of bipartisan policy with roots in the previous government's decisions.
Final Score
5.0
OUT OF 10
PARTIALLY TRUE
The claim is factually accurate in that:
- Tony Abbott did defend the Manus Island scheme during a press conference about the death in detention
- By July 2015, more asylum seekers had died in the Manus Island detention centre (2 deaths) than had been resettled from it
However, the claim is MISLEADING because:
- It omits that the Manus Island centre was established by the previous Labor government
- It doesn't acknowledge that the "ending the deaths" statement referred to preventing deaths at sea (approximately 1,200 of which occurred under Labor)
- It lacks context about the bipartisan nature of offshore detention policy in Australia since 2012
- The resettlement comparison is somewhat misleading because resettlement had only begun and the numbers were expected to increase over time
The claim presents a one-sided narrative that suggests unique Coalition wrongdoing, when in reality this was a continuation of bipartisan policy with roots in the previous government's decisions.
Rating Scale Methodology
1-3: FALSE
Factually incorrect or malicious fabrication.
4-6: PARTIAL
Some truth but context is missing or skewed.
7-9: MOSTLY TRUE
Minor technicalities or phrasing issues.
10: ACCURATE
Perfectly verified and contextually fair.
Methodology: Ratings are determined through cross-referencing official government records, independent fact-checking organizations, and primary source documents.