Dr Van Der Weyden, Editor, Medical Journal of Australia, with John Highfield, ABC Radio, 'World Today'

Mr Ruddock says the Medical Journal has published an inaccurate and distorted account of the medical and mental effects of the lives of children and adults in Australia's detention centres. The Editor of the learned Society's journal rejects Mr Ruddock's criticisms but says he will publish the Minister's letter of complaint in the next issue. Only yesterday, the New South Wales Chair of the Australian and New Zealand College of psychiatrists, Dr Louise Newman, announced the professional body was advising its members to think carefully of the ethical and other considerations before applying for jobs in the ACM run detention centres in Australia.

The AMA article, published to coincide with Human Rights day, today, features the research of Dr Aamer Sultan, an asylum seeker and Iraqi born physician who has collated clinical notes and observations from nearly three years as an informal counsellor, translator and advocate for hundreds of his fellow refugees locked up in Sydney's Villawood detention centre. Dr Sultan was recorded by ABC 4 Corners' Inside Story in August.

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HIGHFIELD: Dr Aamer Sultan, detained asylum seeker, medical doctor and recipient of a special commendation in this year's Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission awards. He was refused permission, even with two escort guards by the Minister and Department of Immigration to appear in person to collect his award. In Canberra here's our chief political correspondent, Catherine McGrath.

McGRATH: Australia's major newspapers and other media outlets in radio and television, occasionally find themselves in dispute with members of the government over stories they've reported, but it's not the usual position of the Medical Journal of Australia - Editor, Martin Van Der Weyden.

VAN DER WEYDEN: It's extremely unfortunate, but the role of the Medical Journal of Australia is not only to publish scientific articles, but one of the briefs is that we ought to have a form whereby people can have commentaries on the social environment or the health of the population as a whole, and that's quite within the brief of the Journal to publish articles like this.

McGRATH: The argument is about an article published today. It's written by Dr Aamer Sultan, an Iraqi medical practitioner held in detention in Villawood. Coincidentally, he was also awarded a Human Rights medal yesterday from the Human Rights Commission. His article is about the psychological condition of asylum seekers and his conclusions are highly critical of mandatory detention. It's not surprising the Government strongly disagrees with the conclusions.

Philip Ruddock is in London, but his office has released a letter he's written to the Medical Journal claiming there are a number of distortions and factual errors in the story.

Acting Immigration Minister, Chris Ellison:

ELLISON: In relation to the comment that power and water supplies were cut off to a cell block, firstly, there are no cells at Villawood, and the alleged cell block was actually a recreation room. Secondly, water supplies were cut accidentally when earth moving equipment outside the centre accidentally cut the main supply to the area affecting surrounding homes and the centre and water containers were provided to the detainees until water supplies were restored. What Mr Sultan doesn't say about the power was that when it was cut detainees ripped wires out of the electrical equipment and threatened to use them to electrocute staff. Now, I mean those are some aspects Mr Sultan has not included in his article and we believe should be included to put the record strait.

McGRATH: Senator Ellison is the Acting Immigration Minister.

At the Medical Journal of Australia, editor, Dr Van Der Weyden is preparing to publish Philip Ruddock's letter of complaint in the next issue, but he says the Journal's concerns about conditions in the camps remains.

VAN DER WEYDEN: The main point of the article was to draw attention to the psychiatric and psychological conditions of the detainees. And you are probably aware that the College of Psychiatrists have called have advised the members, their members, to be extremely wary to take up positions within the detaining camps, primarily because they believe that the conditions are inappropriate etc, etc. And that's the major problem so far as the College of Psychiatrists is concerned. So I'm not the only one calling for attention to the mental health of these individuals.

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