Immigration Minister Peter Dutton and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announce the refugee deal on Sunday. Credit:Andrew Meares "The agreement is with the United States. It is a one-off agreement. It will not be repeated. It is only available to those currently in the regional processing centres. It will not be available to any persons who seek to reach Australia in the future." Mr Turnbull said women, children and families on Nauru would be the priority in a process "that will take time". The largely single, male population of the Manus Island centre will come second. The UNHCR welcomed the announcement as a "much-needed, long-term solution" to indefinite detention and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten expressed in-principle support. The Prime Minister was tight-lipped about how many people the US had agreed to take and whether it would remain in place under Mr Trump, saying "we deal with one administration at a time".

United States President Barack Obama. Credit:Carolyn Kaster "We have a very long history of cooperation with the United States," he said, dodging questions over whether he discussed the deal with the President-elect during a phone call last week. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton also confirmed refugees who decline to resettle or repatriate will be offered a 20-year visa for Nauru. This will also be extended to any new boat arrivals. Mr Dutton said people who had not attained refugee status should return to their country of origin. The government has immediately sought to highlight the strength of Australia's border policies to discourage people smugglers and asylum seekers in the wake of the announcement.

"The 20-year visa arrangement will also apply to new arrivals and let that be a very clear message to all people that you will not step foot on Australian soil, and we repeat that message again today," the Immigration Minister said. Speaking to Sky News, Liberal MP Andrew Laming said the final number of refugees to be included in the deal "is not yet decided", but he thought it would be in place before Mr Trump takes his presidential oath. "Obviously these arrangements are under the current Democrat regime until the 20th of January, I think things will be moving within that time," he said. Senior military and law enforcement figures warned that the government, under Operation Sovereign Borders, was prepared for new boat arrivals. "To the people smugglers, my message is simple: We have reinforced our offshore law enforcement and intelligence cooperation and we have deployed more ships and more aircraft," Major General Andrew Bottrell, the commander of OSB, said.

"We will not let you restart your illicit trade. Your boats will be intercepted and they will be returned safely. "For those people who would be taken advantage of by people smugglers who want to make money from them, I would implore you: do not believe the lies of peoples smugglers and do not risk your life by getting on to unsafe boats. People smugglers are only interested in making money out of you. They do not care what happens once you have paid that money." US Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed the country's cooperation in a press conference in Wellington, New Zealand on Sunday. "We in the United States have agreed to consider referrals from UNHCR on refugees now residing in Nauru and in Papua New Guinea," he said. The US, whose involvement in a deal has long been suspected, is committed to finding a "durable solution", he said.

In September, Australia announced it would resettle South American refugees from a processing centre in Costa Rica, a surprise commitment which triggered speculation of a people-swap arrangement with the United States. The government rejected these suggestions at the time. The policy will not be contingent on the successful passage of the proposed lifetime visa ban on asylum seekers who arrived by boat from 2013 onwards. Labor is opposed to the proposal. "The approach taken by Australia in transferring refugees and asylum-seekers to open-ended detention in Papua New Guinea and Nauru has caused immense harm to vulnerable people who have sought asylum since 2013," the UNHCR said in a statement. "It is on this basis basis that UNHCR will endorse referrals made from Australia to the United States, on a one-off, good office, humanitarian basis, in light of the acute humanitarian situation." Opposition Leader Bill Shorten indicated he would support the move.

"If the detail as has been reported is correct and there is an opportunity for people to be regionally resettled in the United States, I welcome this," Mr Shorten said on Sunday. "Labor would be hypocritical if we didn't welcome this because this is the very thing we wanted with the 'Malaysia solution' some years ago." Greens Leader Richard Di Natale was also cautiously supportive of the deal. "We welcome anything that gets these poor souls out of these hell holes and are glad the government is finally admitting that the offshore detention framework is crumbling and unsustainable," he said. "But we need to see the details before making any decisions."

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