It's certainly not a good look for Australia when the Nauruan government steps in to silence MPs for talking to the ABC. This kind of censoring of information about the goings on in the island nation--relevant to Australia due to its housing of many asylum seekers--is worrisome considering how strong the relationship between Australia and Nauru.
In the absence of any Australian government comment about the report, we can only speculate about whether Australia has played some part in trying to encourage media silence abroad. What we do know for a fact is that the price of visas for media professionals has risen dramatically since the start of Operation Sovereign Borders.
It has gone from $200 to $8000, which regardless of the poor economy of Nauru, is not due to inflation!
[1] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-14/an-nauru-mps-suspended-for-speaking-to-abc/5451366
[2] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-09/nauru-visa-fee-increase-censorship/5191108
[3] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-10/an-nauru-visa-price-hike-for-journalists/5250568
In the absence of any Australian government comment about the report, we can only speculate about whether Australia has played some part in trying to encourage media silence abroad. What we do know for a fact is that the price of visas for media professionals has risen dramatically since the start of Operation Sovereign Borders.
It has gone from $200 to $8000, which regardless of the poor economy of Nauru, is not due to inflation!
[1] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-14/an-nauru-mps-suspended-for-speaking-to-abc/5451366
[2] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-09/nauru-visa-fee-increase-censorship/5191108
[3] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-10/an-nauru-visa-price-hike-for-journalists/5250568
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