Doctors urged to boycott Manus and Nauru centres

Transcript

A former Christmas Island medical worker says a boycott of Australia's immigration detention centres would be the best way to force change.

A new law has come into effect in Australia which could see centre workers jailed if they disclose information about the facilities, which have been criticised for harsh conditions and inadequate care.

A group of professionals who've worked in the centres, including those on Manus Island and Nauru, have signed an open letter against the new law.

The letter's organiser, John-Paul Sanggaran, told Sally Round a boycott by Australian doctors would shine a light on their country's policies.

JOHN-PAUL SANGARRAN: Clearly we are providing substandard healthcare. We can see the harm that's being done and it's gotten to the point that by continuing to work in these detention centres we are simply perpetuating the suffering that currently exists. Obviously if a boycott was enacted it would mean there would be no at least Australian doctors that would work in these places or other professions. Some people argue that this might be a problem because then you don't have a health service being provided. The reality is the health service in places like Nauru and Manus is already currently being provided by non Australian doctors for the large part and Australian doctors not participating in it wouldn't really affect the state of medical care but at least it wouldn't give the cover, allow the government here to pretend that we're providing an adequate health system.

SALLY ROUND: So you are advocating a boycott?

J-PS: I think yes. I think if that could ever get up that would be a good thing. I think ethically we're in a position now where it is not tenable any more to work within immigration detention particularly as a doctor or a nurse.

SR: And what do you think support would be like for that?

J-PS: I don't think it would be good. I don't think there's much of a hope of it actually happening. If by some magical occurrence it did happen, I think it would send out a good message. People would sit up and listen. I don't think it would negatively impact people in detention and it may force a change in the way in which people are being cared for. I don't hold out any hope of that happening.

SR: Now this open letter that you've organised which professionals have signed, it's not calling for a boycott is it? It's going against a new law there in Australia which could mean jail for centre workers who disclose information about the centres?

J-PS: Yes. This is beyond the pale. This is yet another layer of unacceptable legislation. There is already what's being described in many quarters as a veil of secrecy. People have no idea what's going on. There is no transparency around immigration detention. Often ministers in particular hide behind operational security or they use this phrase "on border matters" and no one gets to see what's actually happening in the name of Australians and I think that Australians should have at least some idea of what's being done there. At the moment it's already very hard having this law and it's just an explicit threat of jail for someone that wishes to speak up. And why do we need this law? Why do we need to have two years' jail for someone speaking the truth unless there's something the current government does not wish everyone to see. It's pretty obvious.