Scott Morrison ‘in tears’ over asylum seekers

Scott Morrison says he’s been “on his knees” and “in tears” over border protection decisions to turn back asylum seeker boats.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he’s been “on his knees” and “in tears” over the decisions he has made about asylum seekers. Picture: AAP

Scott Morrison says he has “been on his knees” and “in tears” over the ordeal of refugee children in offshore detention centres, as he revealed there are currently less than 30 children left on Nauru.

The Australian revealed last week that the Prime Minister has aimed to have all children on the island detention centre relocated in Australia by the end of the year, but they will not be allowed to stay permanently.

Mr Morrison was answering questions at a Lifeline charity lunch in Sydney today when he said he had prayed for refugee children.

“You’ll find yourself on your knees, you’ll find yourself in tears, you’ll find yourself wrestling with this tough stuff,” he told journalist and MC Mike Munro.

When asked if he ever cried over refugees personally, Mr Morrison said: “Of course I have. These aren’t easy issues … there are no issues free of moral burden.”

Mr Morrison first came to prominence in national politics for his hard line on refugee boat arrivals in opposition.

He was then responsible for border security and the detention centres as immigration minister under Tony Abbott from 2013 to 2014.

Mr Morrison said as late as last week that he would not soften border security policies and called on refugee advocates not to “denigrate” the nation of Nauru.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison looks on as Mike Munro hosts a Q&A at the Lifeline Australia Luncheon in Sydney on Friday. Picture: AAP

The Prime Minister says he made tough calls because he didn’t want Border Force agents to keep pulling dead children from the water.

“Politics is not for the faint-hearted, and you’ve got to be prepared to understand and own and carry the burden of decisions,” he said.

While immigration minister Mr Morrison said he went to refugee camps around the world was fully aware of the impact his decisions have had.

“There is no decision that you make in this space that is free of moral burden,” he said.

“You cannot allow yourself a leave pass to think that there is. “This job is not for people who can’t confront this stuff.” The prime minister said he had prayed for the children in detention on Nauru and he hoped it had made a difference.

There were more than 1300 children in detention on Manus Island and Nauru when the Coalition took over from Labor in 2013.

“We closed 17 detention centres,” Mr Morrison said.

“Our predecessors sent pregnant women to Manus Island, we didn’t do that.” The Coalition has been under internal and external pressure to get children off Nauru, and many have been resettled to the United States or brought to Australia for medical treatment.

But refugee advocates say children brought to Australia are in limbo because they can be sent back to Nauru at any point, and their parents are often left there to ensure they go back.

— Richard Ferguson and AAP