Transcript: Dr Hambleton, First Edition, SKY News Australia, 18 August 2011
REPORTER: Dr Hambleton, thank you very much for your time. What’s the AMA’s bottom line on this issue? Should mandatory detention be phased out? And how soon?
STEVE HAMBLETON: Well look, we’re very concerned about the mental health effects on the detainees, and particularly children. We know that there’s 179 children in detention, 81 of those are unaccompanied. They’re not being looked after. Look, guards are not trained to look after little kids.
REPORTER: Is it exacerbating the problem? We’ve heard from the former Australian of the year, Pat McGorry, who said that these were factories of mental illness. Is that the sort of argument you’re getting at? And does it extend beyond just the kids to all detainees?
STEVE HAMBLETON: Well it certainly does. And we know that the incidence of self-harm in these detention centres is growing. We know these are damaged people. They’ve arrived in a damaged state. And putting them in detention, a long way from anywhere, is just increasing that damage.
REPORTER: As AMA president, this was one of your first major speeches, the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader there. This is the policy of the two major parties. Clearly this was a very strategic message that you wanted to send to the two big parties.
STEVE HAMBLETON: Well I certainly wanted to send a message. You know, we’ve got paediatricians and psychiatrists who are going into these areas, and telling us terrible stories about what’s happening inside. We’ve got to be compassionate. We’ve got to look after these people. The great majority of those people are going to end up Australian citizens. And we’re increasing the damage, not looking after them properly.
REPORTER: So do you want the system to end. How likely is that though?
STEVE HAMBLETON: Well it must end. We must actually look after people better. Community detention is a heck of a lot better. They can get proper schooling, proper health, proper education. We’ve got to look after people better – particularly these desperately traumatised individuals.
18 August 2011
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