page_title: Rudd Government (2013)
section_title: Asylum seekers
hierarchical_section_title: Rudd Government (2013) / Policy / Immigration / Asylum seekers
caption_attribution_description: English: Rowdy protesters outside Balmain Town Hall for ALP caucus meeting
context_page_description: The Second Rudd Government was the federal executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of the Australian Labor Party. It commenced on 27 June 2013 and ceased on 18 September 2013. Rudd had previously served a term as Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010 and been replaced by his deputy Julia Gillard, following an internal party spill. Rudd regained the Labor Party leadership by successfully re-challenging Gillard in a June 2013 party spill. On 5 August, Rudd called an election for 7 September 2013, which resulted in the defeat of his government by the Liberal/National Coalition led by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.
context_section_description: In his second term as Prime Minister, Rudd renounced his opposition to offshore processing of asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. The flow of asylum seeker boat arrivals to Australia had re-emerged following the first Rudd Government's relaxation of border controls. Following an extended period of increasing boat arrivals and deaths at sea, Gillard announced a resumption of offshore processing in August 2012. The restored Rudd shifted Labor's policy further, announcing that asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat are not allowed to be settled in Australia.
  Following talks with the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Peter O'Neill, Rudd announced in July 2013 that all asylum seekers arriving to Australia by boat would be sent to Papua New Guinea for processing, to tackle people smuggling and refugees that seek asylum without a visa. The announcement was made by the Prime Minister, alongside Tony Burke and O'Neill. A new Regional Resettlement Arrangement was also signed to implement the policy. Following the announcement, detainees at the processing centre at Nauru rioted. On 5 August, Rudd announced that asylum seekers would also be processed and "resettled" on Nauru. The leader of the Australian Greens, Christine Milne, called the announcement "absurd" on the basis that the island of only 21 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi) produced virtually no food, struggles to provide fresh water and could not absorb more people.
caption: Protesters outside ALP caucus meeting in July 2013
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