Nauru police told of 50 abuse cases

Of 50 abuse cases on Nauru referred to local police over the past two-and-a-half years, five charges have been laid and two convictions recorded.

The immigration department confirmed it had referred the cases to Nauru police since the Australian-funded detention centre opened on the island nation in 2013.

Department deputy secretary Cindy Briscoe told a parliamentary inquiry a number of cases were still under investigation, but could not reveal how many.

Australian police have no authority to intervene in investigations because it is run by the Nauru government, under local law.

Former Nauru chief magistrate Peter Law, who was controversially expelled from the country, believes there is a systematic breakdown of the rule of law in Nauru.

He says charges laid against 154 people arrested over the costly riots at the detention centre in July 2013 had been dropped.

But department official Kylie Scholten denied that claim, saying some rioters had served community service for their part in the violence.

The inquiry into allegations of abuse at the Nauru centre also heard accusations the department ignored medical recommendations for evacuations to Australia for treatment.

Peter Young, who had responsibility for the mental health of asylum seekers in all Australian-run detention centres from 2011 to 2014, claimed the department told him evacuations would "undermine" the offshore detention policy and allow access to lawyers.

He also accused the department of telling doctors to withhold details of psychological effects of living in detention from mental health reports.

"We were repeatedly told ... it was unacceptable to put in reports to the department that people's mental health had been harmed by being in detention in Nauru," he told the Senate committee.

His staff frequently complained their care was being undermined by pushback from the immigration department, he said.

But department secretary Michael Pezzullo said asylum seekers were transferred for medical treatment when necessary.

"I don't understand how it is that the claim can be made that we don't accept advice around transferring people from Nauru," he said, adding officials would try to provide medical care on the island where possible.

Mr Pezzullo denied Dr Young's evidence employees were warned not to speak about conditions in the centre, particularly to the Human Rights Commission which was undertaking an inquiry.

The department confirmed it had referred several people to federal police for speaking out but said it had no recollection of anyone's details being passed on for speaking specifically to the commission.

The committee also heard evidence Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young was spied on during her trip to the island in 2013 by a contracted employee on Nauru who acted without authority.

A Wilson Security employee was disciplined for the spying operation, which allegedly used the codename The Raven.

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