Australia and Manus Island: a timeline

One of the world’s most controversial immigration detention centres will close its doors following deliberations between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Australia’s immigration minister Peter Dutton confirmed the Manus Island Detention Centre will shut after meeting with PNG prime minister Peter O’Neill.

Manus Island (circled) in a map of Papua New Guinea. NordNordWest/CC BY-SA 3.0.

Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea. It is the fifth largest island in PNG, with a population of roughly 50,000 people.

There is no timeline thus far for the detention centre’s closure.