5 May 2026
The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) today told a Senate inquiry that offshore processing and reception arrangements on Nauru must end, warning the policies have caused profound and ongoing harm while failing to deliver any durable solutions.
Testimony to the inquiry detailed dangerous and degrading living conditions, inadequate food and medical care, and long-term trauma caused by prolonged detention. Survivors described neglect, untreated health conditions, and serious concerns about safety and dignity, particularly for women. These accounts underscore the Australian Government’s ongoing failure to uphold its duty of care to people seeking protection. Witnesses also highlighted Nauru’s remote location and the impact that had on access to adequate water, food and health services.
Representing RCOA was Advocacy Coordinator Dr Graham Thom, who said the evidence demonstrates that offshore processing is not only harmful, but unsustainable legally, financially, and morally. He testified that a policy with no end game is open to continuing abuse. Billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on a system that entrenches suffering while lacking transparency and independent oversight. He also pointed to the Richardson Review, which raised serious and far-reaching concerns about offshore arrangements, reinforcing the depth of the risks and failures inherent in the policy.
Many people subject to these policies remain trapped in prolonged limbo both offshore and in Australia. This includes 750 people who have been in Australia for many years after medical evacuation from Nauru or Papua New Guinea. There are children who have grown up here but still live in uncertainty and have no pathway to permanency. At the same time, Australia has the capacity to respond in far more effective and humane ways, including by strengthening its Humanitarian Program and expanding community-based alternatives that do not involve sending people offshore.
RCOA reiterates its call for the Australian Government to end both offshore processing and its offshore reception arrangements and to commit to fair, humane and sustainable approaches to refugee protection. As a matter of urgency, there must also be full transparency in relation to the current offshore contracts, including a clear breakdown of how funds are allocated and spent to ensure proper accountability for the billions of dollars of public money being used on these damaging policies.
