Children Referred To By Numbers - Peter Dutton on Refugee Camps (17/9/2016)

ANDREW THOMAS: One of the workers, one of the teachers we spoke to on Nauru, Evan Davis, he told us that he was advised that he wasn't allowed to spend as a worker more than four weeks working on Nauru because it wouldn't be good for his mental health. Now that is a worker there who knows he can come back to Australia whenever he wants. If it's bad for the mental health of a worker in four weeks, then what can it be like for children who are there for three years plus?
PETER DUTTON: Obviously there is a rotation system for people to come in and out, people fly in [and] fly out, in terms of medical workers or staff on the island, I mean that would be a normal practice for any company to fly their staff in and out, now-
ANDREW THOMAS: But he was told specifically that it was about his mental well being.
PETER DUTTON: Well if he's dealing with difficult situations and people are pleading their case each day to him or to others, then you can understand why that would be difficult, because I don't want to see children anywhere but in a loving home. I don't want to see-
ANDREW THOMAS: And children referred to by numbers, not by names? By three letters and then numbers, that doesn't sound like a very- Its a dehumanizing thing.
PETER DUTTON: Well just let me finish because in terms of the support that we provide, some of the classrooms on Nauru for example. I've been in to some of the classrooms where there are electronic whiteboards, overhead projectors, small class sizes, we contract Australian education providers to deliver curriculum and programs to those children to a very high standard. We provide, as I said before, support through medical assistance and we provide support through language training, we provide significant support to- It's interesting to point out that you haven't noted that there are over three hundred and fifty people on Nauru who are employed in local businesses or employed in jobs. Now there are thirty five for example who have started their own businesses there, and there are many hundreds-
ANDREW THOMAS: Why can't we see any of this? Why is the media banned from going to Nauru and effectively from Manus Island as well?
PETER DUTTON: Well there was- Channel Nine were up on Nauru recently, the Australian-
ANDREW THOMAS: We've received- We have been trying as Al-Jazeera, and other media organisations, have tried for three years pretty consistently. We received an email three months ago now saying all media application, I quote, all media application is being denied. All media application is being denied. A hand picked program was allowed very restricted access to Nauru. One single journalist from a newspaper has been allowed in as well. It doesn't feel like an 'open center'.
- Transcript for Peter Dutton's interview on Al-Jazeera with Andrew Thomas, 17th September 2016.
Watch the FULL interview here:
Talk to Al Jazeera - Peter Dutton: Behind Australia's tough border policies
Link:
See also:
'Officer disciplined for calling asylum seekers by numbers instead of names' By The Guardian, 30th October 2013.
Link:
'Nauru conditions 'cruel' and 'inhumane', children traumatised: former teacher' By ABC News, 4th February 2016.
"Ever since I came back, and I've been back in Australia since July, I don't think a day goes past where I don't think about these students," Mr Davis told PM.
"But I also just constantly think about the damage that we're doing to them by detaining them on the island, and also the damage that we'll be doing to these people if we return them.
"So I just can't live with myself with the thought that I've witnessed this.
"I'm probably one of the few people that has actually had the privilege of teaching these students and getting to know them and I just think that the Australian public should realise what's happening to these people."
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