The Greens Senator was denied access to the Curtin Immigration Detention Centre on Wednesday, less than a week after 157 Sri Lankan and Indian asylum seekers had been transferred there.
She and her staff were almost at the centre when they were informed of the denial over email, she told SBS World News.
“There was very little explanation at all,” she said
“It was put down to management of the centre.”
Listen: Sarah Hanson-Young speaks with Stephanie Anderson.
Senator Hanson-Young said she had been given access to reports from inside the centre, detailing the health and mental health of the children and adults being detained.
“The medical team in the last couple of days have been assessing the health and mental health of all of those involved and are reporting very high levels of torture and trauma,” she said.
“These are the types of things that the minister [Scott Morrison] clearly doesn’t want me to see or the Australian people to hear about.”
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has since told the ABC that the decision was “based on the interests of the good management and safety of the centre”.
“Senator Hanson-Young was previously denied access to the Pontville Detention Centre by Minister Burke in July 2013 for ‘operational reasons’,” he said.
The incident coincides with a push from a group of Catholic and Christian church leaders, who are calling for the Minister to renounce his position as guardian of all unaccompanied minors.
The Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce have called on the government to protect the welfare of unaccompanied children who seek asylum in Australia, and have the backing of Senator Hanson-Young.
“We shouldn’t have any children in immigration detention,” she said.
“I know the church taskforce report refers to it as child abuse and I would have to agree. We know the dangerous and negative impacts of detention on children.”
She also backed calls for Mr Morrison to step down as guardian, saying he was “both the jailer and the carer”.
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