Abbott says Australians 'sick of being lectured to by UN' after scathing report on asylum policies

Updated

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has hit out at the United Nations (UN) over a scathing report on the Government's asylum policies, saying Australians are sick of being lectured to by the international organisation.

A new UN report has found aspects of Australia's border protection policies have breached the international convention against torture.

The report has been prepared by the UN's special rapporteur on torture, Professor Juan Mendez, and is being tabled in Geneva today at the UN Human Rights Council.

Mr Abbott said the UN should have given the Government credit for stopping boats making dangerous journeys to Australia.

"I really think Australians are sick of being lectured to by the United Nations, particularly given that we have stopped the boats," he said.

"And by stopping the boats we have ended the deaths at sea."

Professor Mendez said Australia had failed to provide adequate detention conditions and that it should end the detention of children.

His report also said Australia should put a stop to the escalating violence on Manus Island.

Human Rights Law Centre director Daniel Webb said Australia was breaching the convention against torture it signed years ago.

"Now Australia is being found to breach that convention to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment," he said.

Mr Webb said the report was a condemnation of Australia's indefinite detention of asylum seekers on Manus Island and the conditions there.

"It is basically Australia being named and shamed on the world stage as a country that fails to comply with the convention against torture, and I think that ought to be a real wake-up call," he said.

Topics: refugees, immigration, government-and-politics, australia, switzerland

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