Daily Telegraph’s attempt at humour tanks with Nauru v Auschwitz graphic | Weekly Beast

Tabloid misses target with tasteless triviality. Plus: ABC and Fairfax HQs get a makeover

The Daily Telegraph gave the paediatrician Paul Bauert a huge slap for likening asylum seekers on Nauru to Jews at Auschwitz – but the tabloid made a rather tasteless comparison itself along the way.

“The main problem these people have is a lack of meaning, a lack of any end to what’s going on, a lack of certainty,” Bauert had said about the asylum seekers on Nauru. “Even those that finally knew they were about to be condemned to the gas chamber at least found some sense of relief in knowing what was happening.” The medico later apologised.

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Labor starts fightback on border security as medical evacuation bill passes Senate – as it happened

Labor, the Greens, Tim Storer, Derryn Hinch and the Centre Alliance vote in favour of the refugee transfer legislation. This blog has now closed.

That is where we will leave you today. It’s been a big week and after the last few days, I think we all need a bex and a lie down.

Obviously, for me, when I say bex, I mean vodka, but insert whatever self-care aid is necessary.

From the valedictories

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What happened to the deal – and the refugees – surviving Australian and US politics? | Anne Richard

I signed the agreement to resettle some of Australia’s refugees from Nauru and Manus Island in the US. I wanted to see how they are faring now

Two years ago, Australia’s then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull called to congratulate Donald Trump on his inauguration, and to elicit the new president’s support for continuing an agreement between Australia and the US. Australia had stopped thousands of asylum seekers from reaching its shores and had arranged to detain them on islands in the South Pacific; the US had agreed to resettle some in America. The transcript of the phone conversation makes clear that the deal was a top priority for Turnbull and an unwelcome surprise for Trump, who called it “a rotten deal”.

Related: US believed Australia would take more refugees in exchange for Nauru and Manus deal

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