Overview

• Late‑night parliamentary testimony confirmed an estimated A$2.5 billion over 30 years, including about A$408 million upfront and A$70 million annually, to move up to 354 former detainees to Nauru.
• Transparency tensions deepened as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declined to provide further detail and the Senate voted down a bid to publish the full memorandum of understanding.
• Home Affairs officials told the inquiry the proposed legislation could operate retrospectively, and noted the annual A$70 million payment could cease if Nauru accepts no further people.
• Legal challenges continue to stall removals, with the High Court dismissing one Iraqi man’s appeal this week while his separate Federal Court case to resist transfer proceeds.
• Within Labor, some figures have framed the outlay as a “down payment on social licence” to defuse public anger over migration, according to ABC reporting.