Scott Morrison announces investigation into Nauru sex abuse claims; Save the Children said staff did not fabricate allegations

Updated

A new inquiry will examine allegations of sexual misconduct at the Nauru detention centre, along with suggestions they were made up.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the review, to be carried out by former integrity commissioner Philip Moss, would look at claims of sex abuse and the conduct of contractors working on Nauru.

Earlier this week Labor and the Greens demanded an investigation into claims of sexual abuse against women and children asylum seekers inside the detention centre.

The claims included that women inside the centre were being forced to strip and exchange sexual favours with guards so they could have access to the showers.

There were also claims that children were being forced to have sex in front of guards at the centre.

Meanwhile the Immigration Department has ordered 10 members of charity group Save The Children to leave Nauru.

Save the Children CEO Paul Ronalds said he rejected "in the strongest possible terms" any suggestions that his staff had "in any way fabricated stories of abuse or in anyway encouraged self harm".

Detainees on Nauru have been holding protests against the Australian Government's $40 million resettlement deal with Cambodia, with reports some have sewn their lips together after being screened a video address by Mr Morrison last week.

An Iranian asylum seeker who has been detained on Nauru for a year has described conditions there as "God's own hell".

Morrison says sex abuse allegations 'abhorrent'

Mr Morrison said the investigation would give the Government "a clear picture about what the situation" was in the Nauru detention centre.

"The matters that have been brought to my attention are concerning, certanly the allegations of sexual misconduct are abhorrent and I would be horrified to think that things of that nature have taken place," he said.

"The public don't want to be played for mugs with allegations being used as some sort of political tactic in all of this.

"Issues of sexual misconduct have to be taken very seriously and it's incumbent on those making allegations as well as those looking at these allegations to do so in good faith and with a view of protecting the innocent."

Mr Morrison dismissed a suggestion the review showed offshore detention centres were untenable.

"I'm not going to put up with misconduct in centres whether they're onshore or working with the Nauruan or Papua New Guinean governments," he said.

He also cited allegations of people orchestrating protests and encouraging detainees to hurt themselves in an effort to undermine the detention system.

"I have been provided with reports indicating that staff of service providers at the Nauru centre have been allegedly engaged in a broader campaign with external advocates to seek to cast doubt on the Government's border protection policies more generally, and that also cast some doubt on the integrity of previous allegations," he said.

Mr Morrison said the Government needed to have confidence that service providers were acting with professionalism.

"[They] are employed to do a job, not to be political activists," he said.

"Headaching, false claims and worse - allegedly coaching self harm and using children in protests is also completely unacceptable, whatever their political views or whatever their agendas."

Staff would not fabricate abuse claims, charity boss says

Save the Children boss Paul Ronalds said the charity stood by its staff, who had responded to some "very distressing incidences with professionalism and compassion" on Nauru.

"The truth is that cases of child self-harm on Nauru are a reality and have been well-documented," he said.

The charity has about 300 staff that fly-in and fly-out on three-week rosters and at any one time there are about 150 staff on the island.

"All of the staff we have on Nauru are ... professional and very, very well trained and they would not do anything, I'm very confident, would not do anything that would lead to the harm of children which is our whole reason for being on Nauru, despite our on-going objection to the Government's policy."

Mr Ronalds said the Immigration Department had not provided any justification for removing the 10 staff.

He said a few weeks ago the department had directed the charity to stand down a number of staff while an investigation was conducted. The staff were cleared and had returned to full duties, he said.

The charity's contract to provide services on Nauru was renewed with the Department of Immigration on September 1.

The ABC understands there were delays in both parties agreeing to terms, due in part to growing concerns within the department about leaks to the media and the way that Save the Children used the information it obtained through its work with on Nauru.

On September 17, Save the Children co-signed a media release calling for the immediate release of all children from immigration detention.

Minister is prejudging investigation: Greens

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said she was pleased an investigation into allegations at the centre had been established but she still has concerns.

"What I am concerned about is that the minister seems to be prejudging the investigation before it has even started," Senator Hanson-Young said.

"We know that these rumours of women being forced to strip in exchange for showers have been circulating for a number of months and the information that was given to me that I've handed over to the minister has come from mental health workers, security guards and asylum seekers themselves."

Senator Hanson-Young said she was also concerned by the leaking of information to the media about Save the Children staff being removed from Nauru before the organisation was informed.

Topics: scott-morrison, immigration, community-and-society, nauru, australia, pacific

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