AMA submission to Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee - Conditions and Treatment of Asylum Seekers and Refugees at the Regional Processing Centres in the Republic of Nauru and Papua New Guinea
The AMA has consistently raised concerns about the physical and mental health of asylum seekers, particularly the health of children. The prolonged, indeterminate detention of asylum seekers in immigration detention centres violates basic human rights and is damaging to the health of detainees.
The AMA submission to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee inquiry into Conditions and Treatment of Asylum Seekers and Refugees at the Regional Processing Centres in the Republic of Nauru and Papua New Guinea included the AMA position statement Healthcare of Asylum Seekers and Refugees – 2015 and an accompanying Background Paper.
The AMA reiterated its position that detention should only be a last resort, and for the shortest possible time. All people seeking health care, including asylum seekers and refugees, should be able to access appropriate services and be treated with compassion, respect and dignity.
