Secret Translation of Nauruan President's Remarks to Remain Hidden
A confidential translation of Nauruan President David Adeang's public comments about Australia's controversial NZYQ asylum seeker agreement will remain suppressed for ten years after the Albanese government deemed its release "inappropriate". The decision adds another layer of secrecy to Australia's offshore processing regime.
Diplomatic Tensions Over Unofficial Translation
Newly released documents reveal that Nauru declined to endorse an informal translation prepared by Australia's High Commission of President Adeang's 10-minute Facebook interview from February. The Pacific nation also refused to provide its own official translation of the remarks.
The interview occurred shortly after Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced Australia had struck a deal with Nauru to transfer the first of approximately 350 individuals from the NZYQ cohort. This followed the 2023 High Court ruling that ended their indefinite detention in Australia.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong defended the secrecy, explaining that the translation notes were "taken hastily" by an unaccredited official and were intended "for internal purposes only". She emphasised that translation between Nauruan and English remains "the source of much debate in Nauru".
Legal Challenges and Extreme Secrecy
The translation became subject to extraordinary secrecy measures when it was included in a federal court case involving a man known as TCXM, who challenged his deportation to Nauru. The Iranian refugee, convicted of murdering his wife in the 1990s, argued he had serious health conditions and wasn't afforded procedural fairness.
Although the federal court dismissed his case, it imposed a 10-year suppression order covering sensitive details of Australia's arrangement with Nauru, including both the countries' memorandum of understanding and the transcript of President Adeang's February interview.
The financial scale of the agreement is substantial, with estimates suggesting it will cost Australian taxpayers over $400 million in its first year and approximately $2.5 billion over the deal's 30-year lifespan.
Pattern of Secrecy in Offshore Processing
This incident continues a long-standing tradition of extreme secrecy surrounding Australia's offshore detention policies. Successive governments have maintained tight controls over information:
- The Howard government prohibited "personalising or humanising images" of asylum seekers
- Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison repeatedly used the phrase "we don't comment on on-water matters"
- The Albanese government has refused to disclose details of its "confidential bilateral agreement" with Papua New Guinea
The government justified its secrecy regarding the PNG agreement by stating that release "could reasonably be expected to cause damage to the Australian government's international relations".
Meanwhile, the situation on Nauru remains opaque. Sources indicate that several individuals are being held in the RPC3 detention complex, though they haven't been seen outside the facility. TCXM's appeal will be heard in the High Court in December, while the transfer of other NZYQ cohort members continues without public transparency.
The controversy deepened when President Adeang made an unannounced visit to Canberra this month for meetings with government ministers, sparking speculation about the nature of discussions amid the ongoing NZYQ removals and Australia's contracts on the island.
