2016-02-19
The reported ban on all Australian and New Zealand visitor visas to Nauru shows the paranoia of the remote Pacific nation, the Australian Greens have said.
"The Australian and Nauruan governments are desperate to hide what's really going on there," the Greens' immigration spokesperson asked today.
"This is a paranoid overreaction and it shows why it's so important that the island be opened up to the media."
The Nauruan government tweeted that the change in policy came after an Australian journalist entered the country on a visitor visa. That tweet has since been deleted.
"A North Korean style media blackout was bad enough, but shutting down access to all Australian and New Zealand visitor is an extreme response," Senator Hanson-Young said.
"The cynical shroud of secrecy that hangs over the Prison Island must be lifted.
"The Australian Government should clarify whether it opposes this knee-jerk reaction or condones the ongoing media blackout on Nauru."
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