Journalists working for Australia's public broadcaster the ABC will not be issued visas for the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru because of the broadcaster's "biased and false reporting", the Nauruan government said in a statement.
Nauru has long been one of two countries where the Australian government detains asylum seekers who attempt to arrive in Australia by boat.
Australia's border protection policies mean hundreds of men, women and children have been detained on Nauru for several years with no prospect of ever being resettled in Australia.
Although Australia has an agreement with the US government to transfer approved refugees to the United States, progress on the transfer has been slow.
For years journalists have attempted to travel to Nauru to get access to the detention centres and gain an insight into how asylum seekers are being treated there, amid reports of mistreatment, abuse, and poor conditions for detainees, and strong condemnation from international human rights bodies.
Nauru charges $8,000 for applications for journalist visas, and to date only conservative news outlets such as The Australian, A Current Affair, and Sky News have been granted visas.
One journalist for Sky News, Laura Jayes, alleged that the government of Nauru admitted the high visa price was designed to deter outlets such as the ABC.
I went to Nauru in 2016 when it was charging a non-refundable visa application fee of $8000. It was waived for Sky on the condition that we not report it. We did. Nauru officials would openly admit the fee was to deter the ABC and Guardian This is a little more blatant.. https://t.co/SXHIhGLb2d
But with Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull among the world leaders attending the Pacific Island Forum in September, Nauru is having to open its doors to the world's media, for some at least.
In an extraordinary release yesterday, the government of Nauru said that while the country was "looking forward to welcoming media", restrictions on accommodation meant that each country will only get between one and three media representatives in total, and journalists would need to abide by visa guidelines or face having their visa revoked.
"We recognise that media from Australia have a unique interest in Nauru due to our partnership with Australia as part of its border security operations," the government of Nauru said. "While we will ensure that some media representatives from Australia will attend along with other Pacific and wider media, we will be requesting they follow all guidelines and directions of authorities in order to ensure the safety and security of citizens and residents of Nauru."
The ABC is banned completely.
"It should be noted that no representative from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation will be granted a visa to enter Nauru under any circumstances, due to this organisation’s blatant interference in Nauru’s domestic politics prior to the 2016 election, harassment of and lack of respect towards our president in Australia, false and defamatory allegations against members of our government, and continued biased and false reporting about our country," the government said.
"It is our right, as it is the right of every nation, to choose who is allowed to enter."
The ABC was one of three organisations chosen by the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery to attend the summit, and the ABC's director of news, Gaven Morris, said the broadcaster had no intention of vacating its spot.
"The ABC does not intend to vacate our position in the media pool covering the Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru," he said in a statement.
"The Nauruan government should not be allowed to dictate who fills the positions in an Australian media pool. It can hardly claim it is 'welcoming the media' if it dictates who that media will be and bans Australia’s public broadcaster."
In response on Tuesday, the government of Nauru accused the ABC of being "arrogant and disrespectful" and an activist media organisation.
"We remind the ABC that we – like Australia – have every right to refuse a visa to any person or organisation that we believe is not of good character, and that entry into our country is a privilege not a right.
"The Australian media do not decide who enters Nauru."
The Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery said the decision was an "outrageous restriction on press freedom".
But Turnbull is refusing to intervene on behalf of the ABC, saying that while the decision is "regrettable" and the government supports press freedom, it is ultimately a decision for Nauru.
.@TurnbullMalcolm: It'll be regrettable not having media at the Pacific Islands Forum, but we must respect Nauru's sovereignty to determine who comes into their country. We support press freedom, but it is a matter for Nauru. MORE: https://t.co/DfiGD6qzMe #SkyLiveNow https://t.co/kHxeNH0l8B
Labor's shadow foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said Turnbull should make the case for press freedom to the government of Nauru.
"I think Australians do expect Mr Turnbull to stand up for the freedom of the press and to stand up for the national broadcaster and that he should be clear that he will do so," she told ABC News Radio.
"He should express the view of the Australian people and of the government that the government of Nauru should remove restrictions on this official visit by him."
Amnesty International has said the decision is a "brazen move" at suppressing coverage critical of the government of Nauru's "inhuman treatment of refugees".