Most refugees and asylum seekers held in Nauru’s detention centres say they cannot afford to buy enough food or access clean drinking water, despite the Australian government spending the equivalent of more than $9m per person last financial year.
The group of more than 100 people have been sent indefinitely to the tiny Pacific island while they wait for their asylum claims to be processed. Many of the cohort say they are skipping meals to make ends meet, according to a new survey by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) advocacy group.
Rakib*, who has been on Nauru for more than two years without the ability to work, feels he is at breaking point.
“I think it would be better if they kill us, or if we die,” says the man in his 20s, whom Guardian Australia has chosen not to identify for his safety. “Because, you know, like when you die, you get peace.”
Prohibitive costs
Of the 78 people ASRC surveyed between February and April, all but one said the Australian government’s $260 fortnightly payment, intended to cover food, drinking water, supplies, phone credit and internet service, was not enough to keep them from going hungry. (The minimum 28GB monthly data plan with the country’s main internet and mobile provider, Digicel, costs $112, or about 20% of the monthly allowance provided.)
Nauru’s population of about 13,000 is heavily reliant on imported goods. More than 90% of food consumed is imported and prices on the island can fluctuate depending on availability and trade disruptions. Vegetables such as tomatoes, capsicums and onions cost about $18 a kilo – up to three times as much as similar goods in Australia.
Rakib has been on Nauru for 2.5 years after attempting to get to Australia by boat. He says the situation has worsened in recent months: the cost of a single banana has risen from $1.50 to about $4.
He says there has also recently been shortage of rice, which is an affordable staple for many Nauruans and asylum seekers on the island.
“We have been told that it might take two to three months for the next ship with rice to arrive, so we don’t know how will we survive in the meantime,” Rakib says through a translator.
The ASRC survey also includes reports of substandard accommodation facilities.
The island’s group of refugees and asylum seekers mostly come from China, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and attempted to arrive in Australia by boat after 2023. Under a longstanding bipartisan government policy, they will never be permanently resettled in Australia, even if they are found to be fleeing persecution.
If they are found to be refugees, they must wait for Australia to strike a deal with another country to take them in. While the offshore processing centre was empty in mid-2023, a stream of arrivals since has meant about 100 or so people remain on the island in limbo.
The Australian government spent $971.6m on offshore management for unauthorised maritime arrivals in the 2025-26 financial year, according to a home affairs portfolio budget statement publicly released in May. The figure equates to approximately $9.6m per person.
The US private prisons operator, MTC Australia, will receive $791.2m over five years to operate the offshore processing centre on Nauru, while a further $106.5m over three years will be provided to International Health and Medical Services to offer medical services to people awaiting processing.
Those awaiting a refugee determination are not permitted to work, so can only rely on the government’s stipend. In December 2025, the government raised the fortnightly stipend from $230 to $260.
One asylum seeker quoted in the ASRC’s report claimed some people in the group had resorted to fishing to supplement their meals but their efforts were squandered by theft.
“We bought a fishing net to try and supplement the food but our nets were stolen and broken three times. We had put the net outside due to the smell, and local Nauruans came and stole it,” the person claimed.
“We planted fruit but unfortunately, all the fruit was stolen. Even my shoes got stolen.”
‘We just want a peaceful life’
While access to any food remains an issue for the group due to supply and affordability, safe drinking water is also a challenge on the island.
The ASRC’s report notes that the island has no rivers or freshwater lakes and relies primarily on rainwater harvesting and reverse osmosis desalination. It found 82% of the survey’s respondents said they did not have access to clean drinking water.
Rakib says his accommodation has a rainwater tank, which is used for showering, cooking and drinking. To safely consume the water, it must be boiled and stored in containers.
“The water tank was not clean for the last two and a half years,” Rakib says.
“As we don’t have money, we cannot buy good-quality water.”
The ASRC’s deputy chief executive, Jana Favero, says the new report’s findings show the offshore detention system is “completely broken”.
“Even the most basic standards of safety and human dignity are not being met, and there is no excuse,” she says.
“We know we are responsible and that this system destroys people’s physical and mental health, and now we have evidence that people are also being deprived of enough food to eat.”
A home affairs spokesperson said the management of individuals, including their refugee status determination, is Nauru’s responsibility.
The spokesperson said allowance payments are “reviewed regularly to ensure it remains fit for purpose” and are “based on the local cost of living and is designed to promote self-sufficiency while the transferees are living in the community”.
“People transferred and accommodated under regional processing arrangements are treated with respect and dignity and in accordance with human rights standards,” the spokesperson said.
*Name/s have been changed
