Moss inquiry: Leaked testimonies cast doubt on claims Save the Children staff encouraged asylum seekers on Nauru to self-harm

Updated

The ABC has obtained leaked testimonies from the Moss inquiry that cast doubt on the evidence used to remove nine Save the Children staff from their jobs working with asylum seekers on Nauru.

In October last year, then minister for immigration Scott Morrison announced an inquiry to be chaired by former integrity commissioner Philip Moss.

The inquiry was to look into, among other things, claims of sexual and physical abuse at the Regional Processing Centre on Nauru and allegations Save the Children staff employed at the centre encouraged asylum seekers to self-harm.

While announcing the inquiry, Mr Morrison said: "If people want to be political activists, that's their choice but they don't get to do it on the taxpayers' dollar and working in a sensitive place like Nauru."

The allegations relating to Save the Children staff came from an intelligence report compiled from information gathered by Lee Mitchell, a senior intelligence analyst employed by Wilson Security on Nauru.

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The Moss report is yet to be released by the Government, but in his testimony to the inquiry obtained by the ABC, Mr Mitchell admitted the information he compiled on Save the Children would not stack up in court.

"We're not looking to provide evidence. We're just looking at information of where there's likely to be an issue," he said.

When pressed by Mr Moss over allegations Save the Children staff encouraged asylum seekers to self-harm, Mr Mitchell provided no specific evidence, instead citing a previous report from former Nauru operations manager Greg Lake.

"I'm feeding back to Lake's comments in July," Mr Mitchell said.

"He says he knows this goes on. Coaching absolutely does go on."

Mr Moss said more clarification was needed.

"To my mind there's a world of difference between a general state of implying self-harm can be coached, and self-harm is being coached in the context of a particular series of demonstrations," he said.

"I know ... 75 per cent. It's three-quarters of the way there to confidence, to full confidence," Mr Mitchell responded.

Confusion over journalist's tweet

In one instance, Wilson Security's senior intelligence analyst cited a tweet from journalist Daniel Pye, as evidence Save the Children staff were leaking information to the media.

In his testimony to the Moss inquiry, Mr Mitchell said: "This is a guy who works for the Phnom Penh Times, so he's in direct contact with someone on Nauru."

"He's talking about academics working with refugees confirmed seven suicide attempts yesterday to me. Well, the only academics that work inside the centre are employed by Save the Children."

But Mr Mitchell misinterpreted Mr Pye's tweet. It contained a link to an article he wrote for Al Jazeera.

Mr Pye was not quoting Save the Children staff but Professor Suvendrini Perera.

Professor Perera had spoken directly with asylum seekers on Nauru and was quoted on the record for Mr Pye's article. She works for Curtin University, not Save the Children.

Mr Mitchell's testimony before the Moss inquiry also revealed he was approached to gather information on Save the Children in the lead-up to the Government's announcement of an inquiry.

"I think it was either the 28th or the 29th of September," he told Mr Moss.

"I was approached by someone from the department ... [who] just said that 'we're interested in anything you've got on Save the Children'."

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton was unavailable for interview.

"We're not going to comment before the report is released," a spokesman for the minister said.

There is speculation the Moss report will be released this week. Lateline understands it will detail allegations of sexual abuse as well as the trade in sexual favours between guards and detainees.

The transcripts of evidence seen by the ABC contain harrowing testimonies of sexual abuse.

Topics: community-and-society, immigration, refugees, government-and-politics, federal-government, nauru, australia

First posted