In 2001, the Manus Regional Processing Centre (MRPC) in PNG was created as part of the Howard Government’s ‘Pacific Solution’ in the wake of the Tampa affair. 
In 2008 Kevin Rudd closed the centre, and in 2012, Julia Gillard re-opened it. 
The centre costs a fortune to run. In 2014, the Abbott govt paid Broadspectrum AUD1.22 billion dollars to run the place for 20 months; that’s 2 million dollars per day (‘Budget Emergency’?). Currently, it costs about $400,00 per year for each refugee. 
However, the real cost of the centre can be measured in human suffering. Refugees in the MRPC have always been at risk. Many local PNG people don’t like the centre being on their island. PNG guards are known to allow locals armed with makeshift weapons to enter the centre and attack asylum seekers.
In 2014, there was a riot during which Reza Barati was bashed to death. He was a 23-year-old Iranian asylum seeker. He was killed by a Centre security guard and a local Salvation Army worker. They hit him with lengths of wood and metal poles and stomped on his head and neck. 
Last year, 27-year-old Faysal Ishak Ahmed tried for over 6 months to see a doctor at the centre medical clinic. He was consistently turned away by nurses at the clinic because they didn’t believe he was sick. On Christmas Eve last year he collapsed and died. 
Refugee women who report being raped and sexually abused to Broadspectrum staff are essentially ignored.
Last New Year’s Eve , Medhi and Mohammed were bashed by PNG Immigration officials and PNG police for being outside the Detention Centre, even though they were allowed to be. One has a suspected broken jaw and wrist, the other a suspected broken nose. Graphic photos are available to see on the internet.
In 2015, the UN Special Rapporteur Juan Mendez reported that conditions on Manus violated the UN Convention Against Torture.  Our then Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, responded by saying Australians are ‘sick of being lectured to by the UN’. 
In 2016, the UN High Commission on Refugees reported that Broadspectrum has created an institutionalised and punitive environment that is wholly inappropriate for asylum-seekers and refugees. They made urgent and confidential recommendations to Malcolm Turnbull  Govt. Turnbull chose to ignore the report’s recommendations. 
So, that’s a short summary of Manus. The same can be said of Nauru. Remember, this is all being done in our name. Both the Coalition and Labour are actually authorising the torture refugees. Why? For votes. They are administering the torture and deaths of people in order to win votes. How can this be our Australia? Obviously in future this will become widely regarded as our national shame and disgrace. But for so many refugees who have suffered and died, that recognition will come all too late. 
So, what can we do? So many things, but at the very, very, very least, don’t vote for the ALP or the Coalition. Don’t vote for parties that will torture people to get votes. Don’t vote for parties that think votes are more important than the death and torture of refugees. 
Vote for a party that will stop the inhumane treatment of vulnerable people who have come to our country needing our help.

Manus

VENUS PELLAGATTI XTRAVAGANZA
ROBERT BROOKS
SAM NORDQUIST
AARON BUSHNELL
ELIJAH MCCLAIN
ANTEO ZAMBONI 
SUMMER TAYLOR
AHMED EREKAT
DOMINIQUE REM'MIE FELLS
SARAH GROSSMAN
JAMES SCURLOCK
DAVID MCATEE
EYAD AL-HALAQ
HECTOR GARCIA MENDOZA
GEORGE FLOYD
BREONNA TAYLOR
VICENTE RAMON GUERRERO
MARCI WISE
JOSEPH ROSENBAUM
ANTHONY HUBER
RIAH MILTON
TONY MCDADE 
EUGUI ROY
AHMAUD ARBERY
ASHLYNN LISBY
OLUWATOYIN SALAU 
VICTORIA SIMS
JOHANNA METZGER
ZEZICO GUAJAJARA
ISABEL CABANILLAS
DAVID GLEN WARD
TONY MCDADE
TIFFANY M. MOFIELD
KENNY RICHIE MARTY "MYLEZ" MITCHELL
NÉHÉMIE JOSEPH
NICOLA SACCO
BARTOLOMEO VANZETTI
ANNA LOPIZZO
ATATIANA KOQUICE JEFFERSON
CARY BALL JR.
ROXANA HERNANDEZ
JAKELIN CAAL MAQUIN
FELIPE ALONZO-GOMEZ
DREASJON "SEAN" REED
MCHALE ROSE
JANA LANGE
WILLIE MCCOY
MARIEE JUAREZ
OSMAR EPIFANIO GONZALEZ-GADBA
JEANCARLO JIMENEZ-JOSEPH
HUY CHI TRAN
KALIEF BROWDER
MI'CHANCE DUNLAP-GITTENS
SERGIO ALONSO LOPEZ
KAMYAR SAMIMI
JOSHUA BROWN
GEMMEL MOORE
TIMOTHY DEAN
SAHAR KHODAYARI
DE'VON BAILEY
TONY TIMPA
MARIA DEL PILAR HURTADO
EMILSEN MANYOMA
MOISÉS MOSQUERA MORENO
TEMISTOCLES MACHADO 
ELEAZAR TEQUÍA VITUCAY
HECTOR WILLIAM MINA
ELIJAH AL-AMIN
NINA POP
JENNIFER LAUDE
LAYLEEN POLANCO
PAMELA TURNER
CHYNAL LINDSEY
JOYCE FIENBERG
RICHARD GOTTFRIED
ROSE MALLINGER 
JERRY RABINOWITZ 
CECIL ROSENTHAL 
DAVID ROSENTHAL 
BERNICE SIMON 
SYLVAN SIMON 
DANIEL STEIN 
MOHAMMED ABU KHUDAIR
MOHAMMAD RAMIZ BAKR
AHED ATEF BAKR
ZAKARIYA AHED BAKR
ISMAIL MAHMOUD BAKR
MELVIN WAX 
TIMOTHY CAUGHMAN
LARNELL BRUCE JR
OSCAR JOSE FIGUERA
EMANTIC “EJ” BRADFORD, JR.
TENIYA JONES 
THURMAN BLEVINS
ALEX NIETO
WALTER LUEBCKE
ARMANDO FRANK
RACHEL ALIENE CORRIE
ANTWON ROSE, JR.
LINUS PHILLIP
DIANTE BUTCHIE YARBER
SAHEED VASSEL
DANA MARTIN
ASHANTI CARMON
CLAIRE LEGATO
RACHEL CORRIE
MUHLAYSIA BOOKER
KENNETH CHAMBERLAIN SR.
ADAMA TRAORE
MICHELLE "TAMIKA" WASHINGTON
JAQUARRIUS HOLLAND
DANNY RAY THOMAS
STEPHON CLARK
MARIELLE FRANCO
TOVEET RADCLIFFE
HEATHER HEYER
FRED HAMPTON
LAVENA LYNN JOHNSON
PHILANDO CASTILE
TAMIR RICE
DANROY HENRY
TRAYVON MARTIN
ERIC GARNER
MICHAEL BROWN
WALTER SCOTT
VIOLA LIUZZO
CLAUDIA PATRICIA GOMEZ GONZALEZ
RICKY JOHN BEST
TALIESIN MYRDDIN NAMKAI MECHE
FREDDIE GRAY 
ALTON STERLING
JORDAN EDWARDS
OSCAR RAMIREZ, JR.
LIGE DANIELS
JESSE WASHINGTON
JOSE ANTONIO ELENA RODRIGUEZ
SAM DUBOSE
HENRY SMITH
JOHN HARTFIELD
ELTON MITCHELL
T.A. ALLEN
THOMAS DEVERT
JOE SPINNER JOHNSON
LUTHER HOLBERT
JESSE THORNTON
WILLIAM LITTLE
JEFF BROWN
KEITH BOWEN
GENERAL LEE
THOMAS MILES
GEORGE DORSEY
DOROTHY DORSEY
TARIKA WILSON
DEAUNTA FARROW
SAM HOSE
PATRICK HARMON
SEAN BELL 
ANTHONY LAMAR SMITH
HENRY GLOVER
RONALD MADISON
TIMOTHY STANSBURY
ALBERTA SPRUILL
DEBORAH DANNER
OUSMANE ZONGO
ORLANDO BARLOW
PRINCE JONES
RONALD BEASLEY
EARL MURRAY
PATRICK DORISMOND
MALCOLM FERGUSON
JONATHAN FERRELL
DONTRE HAMILTON
JOHN CRAWFORD III
EZELL FORD
AIYANA JONES
OSCAR GRANT
DANTE PARKER
TANISHA ANDERSON
TYREE WOODSON
VICTOR WHITE III
YVETTE SMITH
MCKENZIE COCHRAN
JORDAN BAKER
ANDY LOPEZ
MIRIAM CAREY
DEION FLUDD
KIMANI GRAY
REYNALDO QUEVAS
SHANTEL DAVIS
TAMON ROBINSON 
SHEREECE FRANCIS
REKIA BOYD 
TROY DAVIS 
AMADOU DIALLO
RAMARLEY GRAHAM
LAQUAN MCDONALD
KENDRICK JOHNSON
LAVENA JOHNSON
MEDGER EVERS
ANDREW GOODMAN 
MICHAEL SCHWERNER 
JAMES CHANEY 
JOHN EARL REESE 
WILLIE EDWARDS JR 
MACK CHARLES PARKER 
MARSH COOK
JOHN BROWN
HERBERT LEE 
ROMAN DUCKSWORTH JR 
WILLIAM LEWIS MOORE 
ADDIE MAE COLLINS 
DENISE MCNAIR 
CAROLE ROBERTSON 
CYNTHIA WESLEY 
VIRGIL WARE 
HENRY HEZEKIAH DEE 
CHARLES MOORE 
LEMUEL PENN 
JIMMIE LEE JACKSON 
JAMES REEB 
ONEAL MOORE 
WILLIE BREWSTER
JONATHAN DANIELS 
VERNON DAHMER 
BEN CHESTER WHITE 
WHARLEST JACKSON
BENJAMIN BROWN 
SAMUEL HAMMOND JR 
DELANO MIDDLETON 
HENRY EZEKIAL SMITH 
NAT TURNER 
ANDY BURKE 
JOHNSON WHITTAKER 
ROBERT ROBINSON 
FRED ALEXANDER 
ROBERT TRUETT
L.B. REED 
CLINTON BRIGGS 
FRANK LIVINGSTON 
BUD JOHNSON 
LUCIUS MCCARTY 
POWELL GREEN 
EARNEST MCGOWAN 
LEE SNELL 
PRECIOUS GRANT 
HUGH JOHNSON
J.C. FARMER 
EUGENE BELLS 
TIMOTHY HOOD 
JAMES STEPHENSON 
ALONZA BROOKS 
DEJUAN GUILLORY 
ROCRAST MACK JR. 
JUSTIN THOMPSON 
DARRIUS STEWART

Captivating indie singer/songwriter Peter Vadiveloo deftly weaves funk, blues, folk and roots music around a rich seam of critical social justice issues such as First Nations people’s conditions, treatment of refugees, racism, wealth inequity in Western democracies and climate change. Peter will make you think.
You can buy/stream Peter's music on Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon etc