For over 7 years, men, women and children have been trapped indefinitely by Australia’s offshore detention regime. Timeline thread
Content warning: This thread discusses reports of self harm. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver @gameover7years

On July 19 2013, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that no person seeking asylum by boat in Australia would ever be allowed to settle here. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

This move back towards the previous “Pacific Solution” under John Howard, was actually far more severe. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

Previously, the vast majority of those found to be refugees were either brought to Australia or New Zealand. The updated policy under Rudd meant that those detained were essentially going to be stuck. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

2013 also saw the election of the coalition government under Tony Abbott, and the beginning of “Operation Sovereign Borders”- a military led border security operation, designed to prevent boats carrying asylum seekers from arriving in Australia. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

So, along with offshore processing, we saw turn-backs introduced. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

At the same time, New Zealand offered to resettle people... but Australia refused to accept the offer. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

By February 2014, there were protests and escalating tensions between asylum seekers and locals. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

Distrust between the two groups, exacerbated by the deliberately cruel conditions in the detention centre, erupted into violence with a targeted attack on those detained. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

77 people were injured and Reza Berati, a 24 year old Iranian asylum seeker, was brutally murdered. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

In March 2015, the UN found that Australia’s policies violated the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane and Degrading Treatment and Punishment. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

Rather than trying to improve conditions, the extreme Border Force Act arrived in July. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

The Border Force Act made it an imprisonable crime for medical professionals, teachers and others employed in offshore detention centres to disclose information about the conditions within. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

In April 2016, the Supreme Court in PNG ruled that the transfer and detention of Asylum Seekers on Manus Island was, in fact, illegal under PNG law. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

They were forced to change the way that they held people following this decision - but all they did was change the name. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

In July 2016, we went to Nauru to see the conditions for ourselves. We concluded that the conditions amounted to torture. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

@theguardian released 'The Nauru Files', exposing the tragic scale of assaults, sexual abuse, self harm attempts, child abuse and living conditions endured by Asylum Seekers. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/ng-interactive/2016/aug/10/the-nauru-files-the-lives-of-asylum-seekers-in-detention-detailed-in-a-unique-database-interactive

By October 2016, we finally saw a glimmer of hope in terms of getting people to safety with the US offering to take 1,250 people through its resettlement program. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

In March 2017, a 24 year old Pakistani refugee was attacked on Nauru, resulting in deep head injuries. In August Hamed Sham died of suspected suicide. In October, Rajeev Rajendran died of suspected suicide. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

In April, the Australian Senate Committee published a report containing serious allegations of abuse, self harm and neglect of asylum seekers in offshore detention. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

In October, The PNG navy fired shots into the detention centre with a number of injuries— fortunately, no one was killed. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

At the end of 2017, the Manus Regional Processing Centre was closed. Asylum Seekers were scared to move into community detention, due to a lack of protection. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

After resistance that saw their resources cut off, PNG authorities eventually forcibly moved them out to other centres on the island. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

2018 saw multiple instances of suicide and self harm, including Salim Kyawning - a Rohingya man who died after throwing himself from a moving vehicle. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

The QLD coroner also found the death of Hamid Khazaei, a 24 year old man indefinitely detained on Manus, as preventable had he been evacuated to Australia earlier to receive medical treatment. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

Despite the decline in medical treatment, and the harsh conditions that people were suffering, Medicine Sans Frontier were forced to leave Nauru in October 2018— even though they were providing vital mental health care for Asylum Seekers. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

By February 2019, we finally saw the last child remaining on Nauru brought to Australia for urgent medical care. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

On the back of this, cross party MPs passed the #Medevac bill to ensure that critically sick people offshore were able to get the care they needed in Australia. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reaffirmed their 2013 offer to resettle refugees from offshore. Once again, the Morrison Government refused the offer. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

With another surge in self harm putting pressure on local medical services in PNG, Manus Governor Charlie Benjamin demanded that the Australian government take responsibility for the men detained there. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

This resulted in moving a number of people to accommodation in Port Moresby. The men there continue to fear for their safety, and have been attacked. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

In 2020, those who have been Medevaced to Australia are still detained - but on Australian soil, in 'alternative places of detention' (APODS.) Reportedly, many still haven't received the medical care they were brought here for in the first place. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

There are just under 300 people detained offshore: half in Nauru, half in PNG. We also have hundreds more here in Australia, stuck in limbo waiting for a solution. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

The US resettlement deal is about to finish. It is time for Australia to accept New Zealand’s offer, and get these people to safety now. #7YearsTooLong #GameOver

Join over 60,000 Australians in calling #GameOver on offshore detention - sign the petition now: https://gameover.org.au/