"We bumped into Julie Bishop on the island ... the truth is, she only went to the admin block and where all the staff stay. She didn't actually visit the detention camps themselves. "What she saw was the shipping containers that are purpose-built to be accommodation blocks for staff. They're not what refugees are sleeping in." Ms Bishop's office did not respond to requests for comment on which parts of the centre the minister had visited. Nauru centre is divided into two camps, one for families and one for single men. Ms Bishop told the ABC she had visited "the gymnasium ... the community centre and ... some of the accommodation."

She said she had not met any of the approximately 100 children in detention. ''They do have schooling. They have been going to the local school,'' she said. ''I also went to recreational facilities; I saw opportunities for them. So I think that there are plenty of things for them to do there ''It may be different from their home country, but most certainly the Australian government is spending a significant amount of money on services, including recreational facilities.'' The two MPs painted dramatically different pictures of the standards on the island.

Ms Bishop said health staff had told her the medical services were equal to a major regional centre in Australia. "The services appeared to me to be more than adequate. They were of a high standard," she said. Senator Hanson-Young said temperatures in the tent accommodation for detainees reached 35 to 40 degrees. There were only a few fans to go around. Of particular concern were the 14 pregnant women among the detainees, some of whom were six months into their pregnancies. She said the local hospital obstetrics care was nowhere near satisfactory. "It is so substandard," she said. "The local Nauruan hospital staff said to me the Australian government will need to seriously put some resources into the hospital if they're to start dealing with the births of all these babies." Loading

She said children were suffering skin conditions in the camp. There were no toys for the children. "The 'jail', as it is referred to by the children, is robbing them of whatever innocence and bliss they had left after having to flee their homelands," she said.