'Medevac' law: Australia denies medical evacuations for refugees - BBC News

Australia has controversially repealed a law which allowed sick refugees held offshore to be treated in the country.

The government's push to scrap the "medevac" law - passed by opposition MPs in February - has drawn criticism as cruel and inhumane.

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison argued the law had presented a "national security" risk.

At least 12 people have died under Australia's offshore detention policy.

Since 2013, the nation has sent asylum seekers arriving by boat to detention centres on Nauru and Papua New Guinea (PNG).

• Australia asylum: Why is it controversial?
• Refugee 'suicide attempts' follow Australia election

Canberra has defended the controversial policy by arguing that it stops deaths at sea and disrupts human trafficking.

What was 'medevac' about?

It followed public outrage about the health crisis of detainees - including children - on the islands of Nauru and Manus Island (PNG). There were reports that children as young as 11 were attempting suicide.

That led to the passage of the medevac bill - the first time in decades that a government had lost a vote on its own legislation in the lower house.

Experts have repeatedly warned of inadequate medical facilities on the islands, while the UN has previously described the camp conditions as "inhumane".

The medevac law allowed for doctors to evacuate ill people to Australia for urgent medical treatment.

• Australia 'must move children off Nauru'
• The island where children have given up on life

The government said as a result of the medevac law, 135 refugees were brought to the mainland for treatment this year.

It argued the law had been a "border protection" risk and was a "loophole" for refugee advocates to bring asylum seekers into Australia.

"[The] weak and bad medevac laws must be repealed in order to strengthen our national security again," said the government's Senate leader, Mathias Cormann.

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In opposing the repeal, opposition MPs said the government was "devoid of a heart".

"This will deny sick people treatment. It will deny sick people the opportunity to see a doctor," said Labor Senator Kristina Keneally.

Opinion polls had shown that 62% of voters supported the law.

How did the government succeed this time?

It secured the support of a key independent lawmaker, Jacqui Lambie, to get the numbers in the Senate on Wednesday.

Ms Lambie argued the law "was not a national security threat", but said it gave too much discretion to doctors.

Opposition senators accused the government of "secrecy" in striking the last-minute deal.

"Members of the cabinet of Australia are coming in to vote on a deal they haven't even seen," said Penny Wong, the Labor opposition's Senate leader.

A Greens senator, Nick McKim, said the vote was "a dark day for the majority of Australians who support the medevac legislation".

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2019-12-04 06:32:09Z
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Two rescued after spending weeks lost in Australian outback - NBC News

Two people have now been found alive after spending almost two weeks lost in the vast Australian outback, police said Tuesday.

Phu Tran, 40, was discovered in Palmer Valley Station, a remote area near Alice Springs, according to a statement from Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services.

Tran had spent two weeks in rocky desert terrain with no food when he was found by a cattle farmer, police said. He had survived by boiling and drinking ground water using a jerrycan.

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"Two weeks’ survival is insane," a Northern Territories Police spokesperson told NBC News. "It doesn’t happen."

Phu Tran, 40, was found after two weeks missing in the Australian Outback, where he drank ground water to survive.Facebook

Tran was one of three people who went missing on Nov. 19 after they took a drive into the Outback with their dog, police said. Family members reported their disappearance after several days of no contact.

Tamra McBeath-Riley, 52, and the dog, Raya, were found alive on Monday after police discovered the group's car bogged down in a river bed during an aerial search of the area. The third person in the group, McBeath-Riley's partner Claire Hockridge, 46, is still missing.

A woman who was stranded in the arid central Australian Outback for almost two weeks ago has been rescued, and a search was continuing on Monday for her two friends. pic.twitter.com/FR9LxzC4rX

— NBC News World (@NBCNewsWorld) December 2, 2019

“I took a wrong turn, basically and [the car] ended up being bogged,” McBeath-Riley told a press conference after her rescue. “We dug ourselves under the car during the day into the sand where it was a lot cooler. At night we could sleep in the car. We tried many times to try and get [the car] out, but we just ventured forth to try and find some shelter and water,” she added.

McBeath-Riley stayed close to the car, while Hockridge and Tran took a GPS-enabled device and compass and set off in the direction of a highway about 12 miles away, Pauline Vicary, Superintendent of Alice Springs Police Division told a press conference on Dec. 1.

Tamra McBeath-Riley, 52 and Claire Hockridge, 46 went missing on Nov. 19 during a drive into the Outback with their friend Phu Tran, 40 and dog Raya.Facebook

Tran and Hockridge then each chose different routes to try and get help, and when Tran was found, he was alone.

"One wanted to go high and the other wanted to follow the fence line," a police spokesperson told NBC. "Sometimes the thinking is you go up high to see where you are, but also after 14 days, you don’t have rational thoughts."

Tran and McBeath-Riley have both received treatment for exposure at a local Alice Springs hospital. Search efforts for Hockridge continue.

Caroline Radnofsky

Caroline Radnofsky is a London-based reporter for NBC News.

Ali Gostanian

Ali Gostanian is a New York-based reporter for NBC News.

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2019-12-03 12:02:00Z
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Yang Hengjun: Australia criticises China for detainment of 'democracy peddler' - BBC News

Australia says the treatment endured by one of its citizens in criminal detention in China is "unacceptable".

Chinese-Australian writer Dr Yang Hengjun has been held in Beijing since January. He has been accused of espionage - charges denied by him and the Australian government.

He now faces daily interrogations while being shackled, and has been increasingly isolated, Canberra said.

Australia has consistently lobbied Chinese authorities for his release.

But China's foreign ministry has told Australia to not interfere in the case, and to respect the nation's "judicial sovereignty".

On Monday, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she was "very concerned" about his condition, which was reported in a recent consulate visit.

Mr Yang, a former Chinese diplomat, has been allowed one visit from Australian officials per month.

But he has been barred from contact with his lawyers and his family for close to 11 months and has not been given any of their letters.

Supporters say his health has deteriorated in recent months. China formally charged him in August.

Mr Yang, a scholar and novelist based in New York, was detained when he travelled to China in January with his wife Yuan Ruijuan and her child.

Prior to the arrest he had maintained an active presence on Chinese social media.

Nicknamed "the democracy peddler", he maintained a blog on the country's current affairs and international relations. However, he had not been directly critical of Chinese authorities in recent years.

Beijing has held him for alleged "involvement in criminal activities endangering China's national security". Australia has called for clarification of the charges.

Australia has also repeatedly requested that he receive "basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment" during his detention.

His lawyers say his treatment has got worse as Chinese authorities attempt to extract a confession from him. His case must be brought before a court by March.

Canberra's rebuke comes as tensions remain heightened with Beijing.

Australia's political class was rocked last week by allegations of Chinese espionage and interference in domestic issues. China has strongly dismissed the claims as "imaginary fears".

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2019-12-02 12:23:42Z
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Yang Hengjun: Australia criticises China for detainment of 'democracy peddler' - BBC News

Australia says the treatment endured by one of its citizens in criminal detention in China is "unacceptable".

Chinese-Australian writer Dr Yang Hengjun has been held in Beijing since January. He has been accused of espionage - charges denied by him and the Australian government.

He now faces daily interrogations while being shackled, and has been increasingly isolated, Canberra said.

Australia has consistently lobbied Chinese authorities for his release.

But China's foreign ministry has told Australia to not interfere in the case, and to respect the nation's "judicial sovereignty".

On Monday, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she was "very concerned" about his condition, which was reported in a recent consulate visit.

Mr Yang, a former Chinese diplomat, has been allowed one visit from Australian officials per month.

But he has been barred from contact with his lawyers and his family for close to 11 months and has not been given any of their letters.

Supporters say his health has deteriorated in recent months. China formally charged him in August.

Mr Yang, a scholar and novelist based in New York, was detained when he travelled to China in January with his wife Yuan Ruijuan and her child.

Prior to the arrest he had maintained an active presence on Chinese social media.

Nicknamed "the democracy peddler", he maintained a blog on the country's current affairs and international relations. However, he had not been directly critical of Chinese authorities in recent years.

Beijing has held him for alleged "involvement in criminal activities endangering China's national security". Australia has called for clarification of the charges.

Australia has also repeatedly requested that he receive "basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment" during his detention.

His lawyers say his treatment has got worse as Chinese authorities attempt to extract a confession from him. His case must be brought before a court by March.

Canberra's rebuke comes as tensions remain heightened with Beijing.

Australia's political class was rocked last week by allegations of Chinese espionage and interference in domestic issues. China has strongly dismissed the claims as "imaginary fears".

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2019-12-02 09:03:23Z
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'World first' cell phone detection cameras rolled out in Australia - CNN

Andrew Constance, New South Wales' Minister for Roads said the "world-first" technology would target illegal cell phone use through "fixed and mobile trailer-mounted cameras."

The cameras will use artificial intelligence to review images and detect illegal use of cell phones, according to Transport for NSW.

Images identified as being likely to contain a driver illegally using a call phone will then be verified by authorized personnel, authorities said, noting that images captured by the system would be "securely stored and managed."

Over the next three years, 45 portable cameras will be set up across the state, in unknown locations, and without warning signs, CNN affiliate Sky News Australia reported.

For the first three months, drivers caught out by the technology will receive a warning letter, Transport for New South Wales said in a statement, after which offenders will face a fine of up to $344, or $457 in a school zone, and penalty points on their drivers license.

"The NSW Government is serious about reducing our state's road toll and rolling out mobile phone detection cameras is another way we will do this," Andrew Constance, Minister for Roads said in a statement.

Officials said that a trial of the technology earlier in the year had caught more than 100,000 drivers illegally using a phone at the wheel.

Some 329 people have died this year on New South Wales' roads, Reuters news agency reported, compared with 354 people for all of 2018, according to official statistics.

The state wants to cut the number of road fatalities by 30% by 2021, Reuters said.

Making and receiving phone calls while driving is legal in New South Wales, but using hands-free technology. Other functions, including using social media, video calling, photography, playing audio while driving are only legal if a driver has parked their vehicle outside of traffic.

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2019-12-01 12:28:00Z
CBMiY2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNubi5jb20vMjAxOS8xMi8wMS9hdXN0cmFsaWEvY2VsbC1waG9uZS1kZXRlY3Rpb24tY2FtZXJhLWF1c3RyYWxpYS1pbnRsLXNjbGkvaW5kZXguaHRtbNIBZ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmNubi5jb20vY25uLzIwMTkvMTIvMDEvYXVzdHJhbGlhL2NlbGwtcGhvbmUtZGV0ZWN0aW9uLWNhbWVyYS1hdXN0cmFsaWEtaW50bC1zY2xpL2luZGV4Lmh0bWw

'World first' cell phone detection cameras rolled out in Australia - CNN

Andrew Constance, New South Wales' Minister for Roads said the "world-first" technology would target illegal cell phone use through "fixed and mobile trailer-mounted cameras."

The cameras will use artificial intelligence to review images and detect illegal use of cell phones, according to Transport for NSW.

Images identified as being likely to contain a driver illegally using a call phone will then be verified by authorized personnel, authorities said, noting that images captured by the system would be "securely stored and managed."

Over the next three years, 45 portable cameras will be set up across the state, in unknown locations, and without warning signs, CNN affiliate Sky News Australia reported.

For the first three months, drivers caught out by the technology will receive a warning letter, Transport for New South Wales said in a statement, after which offenders will face a fine of up to $344, or $457 in a school zone, and penalty points on their drivers license.

"The NSW Government is serious about reducing our state's road toll and rolling out mobile phone detection cameras is another way we will do this," Andrew Constance, Minister for Roads said in a statement.

Officials said that a trial of the technology earlier in the year had caught more than 100,000 drivers illegally using a phone at the wheel.

Some 329 people have died this year on New South Wales' roads, Reuters news agency reported, compared with 354 people for all of 2018, according to official statistics.

The state wants to cut the number of road fatalities by 30% by 2021, Reuters said.

Making and receiving phone calls while driving is legal in New South Wales, but using hands-free technology. Other functions, including using social media, video calling, photography, playing audio while driving are only legal if a driver has parked their vehicle outside of traffic.

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2019-12-01 11:52:00Z
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Australia's Weeks says hope helped him survive Taliban captivity - Reuters

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Timothy Weeks, the Australian academic released by the Taliban in November after being kept hostage for more than three years, said on Sunday that hope helped him survive the ordeal.

FILE PHOTO: Timothy Weeks speaks to the camera while kept hostage by Taliban insurgents in an unknown location, said to be Afghanistan, in this still image taken from social media video said to be shot January 1, 2017 and shared by pro-Taliban cahnnels. Social media via REUTERS

Weeks and U.S. citizen Kevin King were freed by the Taliban in return for the release of three Taliban commanders. The two were kidnapped in August 2016 outside Kabul’s American University of Afghanistan where they worked.

Speaking publicly for the first time since his release a visibly emotional Weeks said that the “long and tortuous ordeal” had a profound effect on him.

“At times, I felt as if my death was imminent and that I would never return to see those that I loved again,” Weeks said in Sydney in remarks televised by the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “But, by the will of God, I am here. I am alive and I am safe. And I am free. There is nothing else in the world that I need.”

He said that he had never given up hope, although his freedom took longer than he expected.

“If you give up hope, there is very little left for you,” he added.

Kidnapping has been a major problem in Afghanistan for many years. Most victims are Afghans and many kidnappers are criminal gangs seeking ransoms but foreigners have also been abducted for political ends.

The 50-year old teacher from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, who returned to Australia on Thursday, also said that he believed that there were six attempts made to free him and King, including U.S. Navy SEAL forces in at least one instance.

“We were woken in the morning at around 2 a.m. and we were taken down into the tunnels. We were told by our guards that it was Daesh, and I’ve since learnt that I believe now that it was the Navy SEALs coming in to get us,” he said.

He said that although both were treated “as well as could be expected”, they were moved around various locations and sometimes kept in dark cells.

Weeks said he does not hate the guards who were watching him.

“A lot of people don’t admit this, but for me, they were soldiers. And soldiers obey the commands of their commanders. Then don’t get a choice,” Weeks said.

“Some of them were so compassionate and such lovely, lovely people. And it really led me to think about... You know, how did they end up like this?”

Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Christian Schmollinger

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2019-12-01 02:55:00Z
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