People held on Nauru moved into community and face further challenges

MEDIA RELEASE:

ASRC caseworkers can confirm the majority of people held in closed detention on Nauru have recently been moved into the community, with many now struggling to afford three meals a day, clothes, drinking water and basic necessities.

People in the community are allocated just $230 per fortnight to survive on, despite drinking water costs of $70 per fortnight and fruit and vegetable prices stacking up at close to four times the average cost in Australia.

The ASRC has also heard reports people are unable to afford the high prices for basic items such as clothing, towels and shoes, and that these items were originally promised to people upon release into the community but have never been delivered.

Accommodation is also creating challenges – approximately 39 people are living in a complex similar to a detention centre and must share one small, office-sized kitchen that has insufficient cooking facilities to prepare meals. For others based in more remote areas, transportation is a significant barrier to working and buying food and some people have reported walking up to two hours to reach bus stops.

Separation from family and support networks continues to exacerbate mental health issues and most people are unable to afford phone credit to regularly connect with loved ones. In July, the ASRC reported that family separation and a lack of specialist support was taking its toll, with 22% of people held on Nauru already suffering severe mental conditions and 10% suffering from suicidal ideation.

The ASRC continues to call on the Labor Government to urgently evacuate all people held on Nauru to Australia so they can receive appropriate medical care and support while they wait for protection claims to be processed. With no current plan provided by the Australian Government for people’s future, and no clear resettlement options, the ASRC remains deeply concerned about people’s ongoing physical and mental health the longer they are held on Nauru with no answers.

Quotes attributable to:

Jana Favero, ASRC’s Deputy CEO
‘’People should never have been sent to Nauru in the first place. When people arrive on our shores seeking safety, the only way to ensure their rights are upheld and they are treated fairly is if they are in the Australian community while assessing their protection claims. The harm of offshore detention is well documented and will continue until we stop outsourcing our moral responsibility and honour our refugee convention obligations.”

Mohammad Bashir Anjum, currently held on Nauru
“Life on Nauru is so tough. We have concerns about the fairness of the refugee determination process. Our mental health is not good and we rely on medicines to live our daily life. There is no certainty about the future and what may happen to us. With the small financial allowance no one can afford three meals a day.

“We have to pay for food, internet, mobile phone, TV charges, clothes and shoes. We have spoken to authorities to request an increase in the financial allowance, and our requests were ignored. There is only one shared kitchen for 39 people. It does not accommodate our diverse religious and cultural needs.”

Heidi Abdel-Raouf, ASRC’s Detention Policy Caseworker
“People seeking asylum in the Nauru community are receiving a miniscule $230 per fortnight to cover their basic needs, a rate that has not increased for years despite the rising cost of living on Nauru.

“People are reporting they do not have work rights unless they receive refugee status. They are in abject poverty. No one can afford three meals a day, or to buy fruits and vegetables, people are suffering from poor nutrition and poor health. The system is intended to break people and deter them from pursuing their right to seek asylum and safety.”

Anonymous person seeking asylum on Nauru: 
“Everything on Nauru is very expensive and the financial allowance of $230 per fortnight is not enough. The phone and internet package is $100, drinking water is $70 dollars, this leaves $60 for food and all other expenses. IHMS doctors told us to eat fruits and vegetables, but we cannot afford it and it is affecting our health.”

-ENDS-

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