Tampa refugees finally arrive in Australia

Despite criticism from human rights groups, the boat-people policy has been politically successful

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- The Howard government's controversial "Pacific Solution" plan to combat people-smuggling has come under fire again after dozens of refugees were granted asylum in Australia.

Forty-two refugees arrived in Australia Tuesday from the remote Manus Island in Papua New Guinea where they had been held for nearly a year while their asylum applications were processed.

The refugees have been granted three-year temporary protection visas to live in Australia.

A further 18 refugees held in a detention camp on the Pacific Island nation of Nauru have also recently arrived in Australia, while nearly 60 others have been granted asylum in neighboring New Zealand.

Further movements to Australia and other countries are expected over the next few months, according to Australia's Department of Immigration.

IN-DEPTH Australia's tide of refugees    EXTRA INFORMATION People smuggling: Stemming the flow    MORE STORIES • NZ questions detention ruling  • One too many asylum seekers     CNN.com Asia More news from our Asia edition

The bulk of the refugees had been rescued from a sinking boat by the Norwegian freighter MV Tampa in August last year, but were denied entry to Australia -- provoking an international incident with Norway and Indonesia.

Those on board the Tampa, along with several subsequent boatloads of asylum-seekers -- about 1,500 in total -- were instead transferred by the Australian navy to purpose-built detention camps in Nauru and Manus island.

Critics of the government's policy suggest the use of Pacific detention camps is both heavy-handed and unnecessarily costly with the exercise setting back Australian taxpayers around $270 million (Aust. $500 million) so far.

But Australian Prime Minister John Howard has defended his policy, saying the cost was necessary for Australia to uphold its principle of only accepting genuine refugees.

'Fair share'

"We will always take our fair share of people who are found to be genuine refugees," Howard said Wednesday.

"What we will not take are people who seek to enter this country illegally.

"Now that is the difference and that is the principle that we have upheld for the last year, and it is the principle that we will continue to uphold."

Opposition Labor party immigration spokeswoman Julia Gillard on Wednesday described the policy as an "unsustainable fiasco" which while designed to keep asylum-seekers away from Australia, merely postponed their arrival.

Stemming the tide

But the government credits its tough stance with stemming the tide of people-smuggling boats.

Nearly 8,000 asylum seekers arrived on Australian shores last year, usually on decrepit boats and ferries from Indonesia organized by people-smuggling networks.

Since the government adopted its zero-tolerance policy post the Tampa incident the number of boats arriving has stalled.

While the policy has attracted virulent criticism from international and Australian human rights groups, it has also proved domestically popular.

Political analysts suggest the Howard stance was a critical factor in delivering Howard a third term of government in national election held last November.