One psychiatrist’s experience of visiting offshore processing centres for people seeking asylum in Australia

Abstract

Objective:

To describe the author’s experience of visiting Christmas Island and Nauru offshore detention centres as a visiting child and adolescent psychiatrist in the context of his own experience as a refugee from Europe after WWII.

Method:

Following a visit to Nauru the author wrote to the Prime Minister and leader of the Opposition expressing his objections to the policies of recent Coalition and Labor Governments.

Results:

His actions have led to the author not being invited to return to these centres as a visiting psychiatrist.

Conclusions:

The author acknowledges the importance of stopping the boats and proposes that a more humane approach is needed for asylum seekers who arrive by boat.