Head Of Immigration Department Denies Nauru Conditions Amount To 'Torture'

The head of the Immigration Department has refuted allegations from Amnesty International that the conditions on Nauru "amount to torture".

Amnesty released a report called Island of Despair on Monday night, which described failures to a safe environment for refugees and asylum seekers. It also contained details of serious violations of children's rights, including incidents of violence and sexual harassment.

The Federal Government has been accused of ignoring international laws, and running a "deliberate policy to inflict harm on refugees".

In a Senate Estimates hearing, Mike Pezzullo, secretary of the Immigration Department said he hadn't read the report.

"It doesn't surprise me," he said, "I've seen Amnesty International reports that say similar things."

Despite not having actually looked at Amnesty's report, Pezzullo said he doesn't agree with the findings and torture allegations.

If AusGov system on Nauru is compassionate, @TurnbullMalcolm, drop secrecy & allow UN/media/NGOs @RNBreakfast @amnestyOz

— Caroline Shepherd (@CShepAmnesty) October 17, 2016

"I refute categorically, both on behalf of my own department and by way of explaining government policy in this regard, that it's not the Australian Government's position, nor the position of this department, that we flout any laws, international or otherwise," he said.

Amnesty's senior research director Anna Neistat has said high levels of mental health issues and safety fears were preventing children from attending school.

"The conditions on Nauru - refugees' severe mental anguish, the intentional nature of the system, and the fact that the goal of offshore processing is to intimidate or coerce people to achieve a specific outcome - amounts to torture," the report says.

During the hearing Pezzullo mentioned he had visited Nauru last week and said, "we might be visiting different islands, and we might be living in alternate, parallel universes."

He claims that, based on his "own observations" and those of his officers, "there are no restrictions" on people accessing island facilities.

The Immigration Department said it will follow up the Amnesty International report.

Photo: ABC Four Corners