The great Nauru housing rip-off

The Australian ‘Daily Telegram’ published on January 25, 2013 by Ms. Gemma Jones a political reporter criticizing the Nauruan house renters for the house rates being charged against the Australian officials working for the Regional Processing Centre. Ms. Jones said that the Australian ‘TAXPAYERS’ are paying more than the average rent in Sydney, and every capital in each Australian state, to lease private homes for immigration officials in Nauru.

Photographic taken by: Gemma Jones on January 25, 2013 at Baisti District

Ms. Jones said that there are 31 rooms and a conference centre at Nauru's run down ‘Menen Hotel’ which are being leased for $331,500 for six months to provide beds for staff working on the offshore processing centre for asylum seekers. She further stressed that the rates are high in comparison to other homes in Nauru – "a country where wages are low". 

She said “An average mid-level public servant earns $150 a week and lower paid workers get by on $75.”

Picture is taken from Google Menen Hotel. 

However, according to Mr. Sandi Logan the department's national communications manager, Mr Logan said that their staffs were not "living in luxury as this is not Sydney or Melbourne, but a small island". Now the interesting thing that possibly most of those Nauruan affected would like to see are the Nauru and Australia Government responses on their behalf since it is their initiatives that they become involved in the whole RPC scheme. 

Photographic taken from the Australian News 

On another important note, the article published by the Ms. Jones is regarded as an international insult for the Nauruan house owners and relatives, since they have been criticized above and beyond the signed agreement for land and house use, between them and the Australian and Nauru Government officials. 

Another road accident!

Despite the police early warning on road accidents, earlier this morning around 9:00 am, in front of the Antina’s in Yaren district, a drunkard girl fell off from the back of a moving vehicle and got injured. Friends and other members of the public rushed to help her back into the vehicle and hopefully take her to the hospital for medical assistance. 

 Photographic taken by: J Dageago 19 January 2013 

Message from the Commissioner of the Nauru Police Force

The Commissioner of Police Mr. Richard Britten was on the front page of the latest Nauru Bulletin edition no. 1-2013/77, expressing his disappointment on the fatalities related road accidents that occurred on the island in 2012. The Commissioner said “Fatalities related to road accidents stands at four – two of those deaths being 12 years old ” The Commissioner expressed his sincere disappointment on the tragic incidence that has caused the lives of two juveniles and said that the Nauru Police Force will be introducing stronger legislation and serious measures to ensuring road safety. 

Photographic taken from the Nauru Bulletin 

The Commissioner said “During 2012, the Nauru Police Force ran a campaign focusing on Road Traffic. Media played a very big part in this campaign.  A new Nauru Police Force Traffic Unit was established to make people aware that it was a requirement for all persons to hold a valid driver’s licence before they drove a motor vehicle on the road.” However, despite the efforts put together by the Nauru Police Force, it seems that members of the communities and especially parents are not taking serious measures on the safety for their children themselves.

The Commissioner of Police said; “Whilst this may seem harsh to a lot of people, stronger legislation is needed to protect those that cannot protect themselves or decide to ignore the law.  Road trauma must be reduced and the only way to do this is to introduce harsher penalties.  The loss of life due to road trauma can only be described as the ultimate penalty for acts of stupidity or recklessness.” 

In conclusion, Mr. Britten said; “As Commissioner of the Nauru Police Force, my mission is to serve and protect the people of Nauru as it is for the rest of the force.  Having four deaths on our roads during 2012 has highlighted to me, that tougher action is needed to get the message through to some people. I make no apologies for our intentions during 2013 and we will no longer be lenient. Road trauma must be reduced.”

Asylum seekers update on 12/01/2013

Photograph taken by: Clint Deidenang 12 January 2013, 10:50am

Earlier on this morning at the Nauru International Airport, another group of thirty asylum seekers have arrived on Nauru and will be escorted and transported directly to the Australia and Nauru Regional Processing Centre, by the Wilson Security services, with the assistance of the Nauru Police Force.  

Photograph taken by: Clint Deidenang 12 January 2013, 10:53am

However on the arrival of the thirty asylum seekers today, eight more other Sri-Lankans asylum seekers have decided to board the plane to return home.  

Photograph taken by: Clint Deidenang 12 January 2013, 11:05am

Hence, this is the fourteenth asylum seekers transfer operation being undertaken by the Australian and Nauru Government, since the re-opening of the Regional Processing Centre in late 2012. 

Arrival of cargo shipment

After a long setback and running short of affordable frozen goods, the cargo shipment has finally arrived on Thursday the 10^th of January 2013. According to the Nauru Media, the ship is scheduled to be here for the next four days for the offloading of cargos and the back loading of empty containers. 

What are great relief for all the consumers since earlier on leading up to Christmas day and New Year’s Eve, frozen good prices increase progressively until some had doubled and almost tripled the normal pricing of a regular frozen product.  

Now most likely things will go back to normal pricing including the frozen, which are the major demand on the Island since Christmas and New Year. 

Nauru Rehabilitation Corporation – rental payment

Nauru Rehabilitation Corporation rental payments for the month of January, February and March 2013, will be paid out on Tuesday the 22nd of January, 2013 at the Nauru Revenue Office.  

Public Announcement on Our Airline & Education

The Department of Education has issued a revised schedule with Our Airline for the re-deployment of Nauruan students back to school in Fiji for the school calendar year 2013, since the Solomon Airlines will be operating the charter route to Fiji on the new schedule as given below: - 

Wednesday 16th January, 2013
Depart Nauru: 1830 (6.30.pm)
Arrive Nadi : 2300 (11.00pm)
Baggage limit: 30kg

Students travelling on the flight are asked to check in at the airport at 2.30pm on Wednesday 16th January, 2013 before 5.30pm.

Any those having any enquiries can contact the Department of Education on 5573143. 

Nauru Utilities Corporation - Public Notice - Load Shedding for Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th January

Today Friday 11^th of January 2013, the Government Information Office has issued a public notice on behalf of the Nauru Utilities Authority regarding another power load shedding that is to take place over the weekend to enable major repair and servicing of the old Ruston engines number 6 and 1. The duration of each shedding will go for at least 2 hours and will continue in sequence until the engines are probably fixed and are brought back fully operational. 

Load Shedding (Saturday 12/01/13) to enable servicing of Ruston 6                              

For Saturday 12^th January, the load shedding schedule is as follows: 

Ring Main North: 8.00am – 10.00am 

Ring Main South: 10.00am – 12.00pm 

Location, NPC Domestic, Boe poe and pago: 12.00pm 2.00pm 

Ring Main North: 2.00pm – 4.00pm 

Ring Main South: 4.00pm – 6.00pm 

Location, NPC Domestic, Boe poe and pago: 6.00pm – 8.00pm 

Load Shedding (Sunday 13/01/13) to enable servicing of Ruston 1 

For Sunday 13^th January, the load shedding schedule is as follows: 

Ring Main North: 8.00am – 10.00am 

Ring Main South: 10.00am – 12.00pm 

Location, NPC Domestic, Boe poe and pago: 12.00pm 2.00pm 

Ring Main North: 2.00pm – 4.00pm 

Ring Main South: 4.00pm – 6.00pm 

Location, NPC Domestic, Boe poe and pago: 6.00pm – 8.00pm 

Asylum Seekers

While the asylum seekers claim for refugee status is pending for review by the Nauruan Government under its national refugee laws, yet the asylum seekers have been granted freedom to go around the island by RPC bus and staffs to visit some other places around the country for physical activities.   

Photograph taken by: Clint Deidenang 19 December 2012, 2:38pm

Some of these places include the tennis court in Aiwo District, the hospital, sport fields, stores and other recreational areas including the beach for swimming and relaxing to get over stress and other mental problems that could happen to them, if they are being separated from society.

Photograph taken by: Clint Deidenang 23 October 2012, 3:46pm

While all these are happening, including the construction of new houses, the question left to answer now is how long will the process be for this people to be held under the ‘Australia and Nauru Regional Processing Centre Agreement’. Asylum seekers are not prisoners to be kept waiting for a long period of time, but were unfortunate people who are searching for new life in other countries including Australia.

Photograph taken by: Clint Deidenang 2 January 2013, 4:32pm

Hope the Nauru and Australia Governments will review the status of these people’s and their refugee claims ASAP. Because having them kept for long will not help Australia to resolve their problems, but rather only allowing the number of boat people to increase gradually on their shores. On another important note is where is or what have become of the labour government policy for turning the boat around.

Inflation in Nauru

Due to Nauru’s reliance’s on import products since it became independent in 1968, today the people had to suffered inflation on frozen goods from all businesses across the entire country, since the delay of cargo shipments arriving onshore and private businesses airlifting their products via Brisbane, Australia to Nauru. 

Photographic taken by: Clint Deidenang on 19 December 2012, 2:15pm

Hence, the end result of the process is quite very devastating for the end users as the price for a 2kgs chicken went up from $7.00AUD to around approximately $14.00AUD. Plus the issue of low level income, people suffered heavily on these new cost increases. Nauru has a developing country has a ‘Price Control Act’ and so a board of directors established under the act to implement price control on all businesses across the entire country. Unfortunately, since the bill is being passed by parliament in September 2, 2004 implementation and action on the “Act” is invisible.

Photographic taken by: Jeannette Francis on 17 December 2012, 4:07pm

Therefore, it is very inevitable that this will continue to happen if the government and parliament continues to tolerate such business behaviours, taking into account the country’s economic position under its reform strategy and vision under the NSDS from 2005 to 2025. 

Photographic copy of the NSDS page cover

Though it is clearly stated under the NSDS or National Sustainable Development Strategy that government should encourage the development of small businesses, they must also ensure aligning their priorities towards the fundamentals of the NSDS which states: -  

“A future where individual, community, business and government partnerships contribute to a sustainable quality of life for all Nauruans”

Refugee Camps on Nauru

As mentioned on ABC News about the Nauru Regional Processing Centre construction works, this is a picture taken from the site.  As you can see on the right that new platforms are been installed for the foundations of the new houses, and hopefully these houses can be completed in the next few weeks.

Photograph is taken by: Clint Deidenang 2 January 2013, 2:00pm 

Maximum capacity targeted by both the Australian and the Nauruan Government is to settle at least up to around approximately 1,500 refugees on the Island. This is one of the three sites being proposed by the Government of Nauru to be established on the Island, while the other two are yet to be identified. 

On the left you will see the Army tents those are the current and temporary housings for the 380 male refugees from Afghan and Sri Lanka. Once the new houses are completed they are going to be relocated to better houses, which is good news for all relevant stakeholders. 

NRC Dump Truck

Since leading up to Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, rubbishes around Nauru continues to pile up due to the unavailability of the Nauru Rehabilitation Corporation (NRC) dump truck. The Manager for Waste Management at NRC has been interviewed by the Nauru Media concerning this particular issue, and she said that two of their trucks are down except just one operating the entire route across the country.

She also mentioned to Nauru Media about the constraints her department is facing which includes the limitation of fund allocation under her department budget for the acquisition of new trucks in replacement of the two trucks broken down in the garage. Hence, Nauru will continue to experience the backlog of rubbishes beside the main road, until NRC is able to reassign its other resources to assist the Waste Management Unit.