'These people have been found to be refugees by my department under the Refugees Convention and will receive support through the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy to establish their lives in Australia,' Senator Evans said.

The 21 people arriving next week are the first of a group of 75 Sri Lankan refugees on Nauru that will be resettled in Australia in the coming weeks.

They will be settled in capital cities, including those where some of the refugees have existing family support.

Decisions on seven other Sri Lankans on Nauru are pending. One person was refused refugee status and his case is under review. Six people are facing criminal charges in Nauru and will remain in the processing centre until these matters are resolved by the Nauru justice system.

'Australia remains one of the top three refugee resettlement countries in the world, welcoming about 13 000 refugees each year,' Senator Evans said.

'We remain committed to supporting a well-managed refugee resettlement program.'

The Australian Government will shortly invite the Government of Nauru to commence formal discussions on the closure of the Offshore Processing Centre on Nauru.

The Government will carefully consider the likely impact of closure of the facility. Australia continues to honour its commitment to a generous aid and capacity development program for Nauru.

'While the Government is ending the Pacific solution with the closure of the centre on Nauru, Christmas Island will soon have an increased capacity for offshore processing of unauthorised arrivals,' Senator Evans said.

'The Government remains committed to strong border security, tough anti-people smuggling measures and the orderly processing of migration to our country.'

http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/media-releases/2008/ce08003.htm