Life on Nauru is very pleasant, says Tony Abbott

Coalition conservatives have hit back at the push to clear refugee children from Nauru, describing it as a ‘very pleasant island’.

Refugee students Suki and Shana, centre, with Nauruan classmates Kalista Seymour, Myrose Joram and Luckina Dagagio. Picture: Nathan Edwards

Coalition conservatives have hit back at the push to clear refugee children from Nauru, describing it as a “very pleasant island” and ­arguing some children in Australia are worse off than those subject to offshore processing.

As Liberal moderates argue ­behind the scenes for refugee children to be brought from Nauru to Australia, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton warned any weakening of Australia’s border protection policies would see more children “attacked by sharks”.

Scott Morrison yesterday said the portrayal of Nauru by refugee advocates was offensive to Nauruans, while Tony Abbott declared children on Nauru are “very well looked after”.

“Nauru is no hellhole by any means. I’ve been there. If you like living in the tropics, it’s a very, very pleasant island,” Mr Abbott said.

Liberal backbencher Julia Banks last week challenged the government to “a one-off act of grace” to get refugee children and their families off Nauru; a position shared by a growing number of Liberal moderates amid rising community concerns over the fate of those in offshore detention.

 

But Queensland Nationals senator George Christensen said conditions for refugee children on Nauru were no worse than in many Australian towns.

“There’s Australian children, indigenous and non-indigenous alike, that are perhaps in worse ­situations than some of the children on Nauru,” he said.

Mr Dutton said he wanted to get children out of detention, but the government had to ensure it did not create a “pull factor” that would restart the people-smuggling trade. “Not many Australians have seen the images of children attacked by sharks among the 1200 people who drowned at sea while Labor was in power. I’m not going to allow that to happen,” he said.

The Prime Minister said Australians should be mindful of how the refugee debate played out in Nauru, where 10,000 Nauruans live happily.

“That’s their home and that’s been their home for generations,” he said. “I do know that they get frankly a bit offended about the way people talk about their home.”

According to evidence to Senate estimates last week, more than 600 refugees and asylum-seekers have been brought to Australia on temporary visas for medical treatment. Nearly all have joined High Court proceedings to stay in Australia, and will not be sent back to offshore detention until those proceedings are finalised.

It also emerged 50 refugees on Nauru had refused to be resettled from Nauru to the US.

The Senate’s legal and constitutional affairs committee heard there were 65 health professionals on Nauru to look after refugees and asylum-seekers, including doctors, nurses and psychologists.

Committee chairman Ian Macdonald said that was a better ratio than in many parts of Australia.

“I can assure you my town of 20,000 would not have anywhere near 2000 health professionals, and some indigenous communities I’m aware of certainly wouldn’t have that sort of ratio ­either,” he said.

Liberal MPs, including Ms Banks, Russell Broadbent, Craig Laundy, Warren Entsch, Jason ­Falinski and Trent Zimmerman, have lobbied for a policy change.