This has just hit the fan over here. Some of the allegations are pretty shocking.
Immigration detention inquiry: Government tried to cover up asylum seekers' mental health problems, inquiry toldThe national inquiry into children in immigration detention has heard evidence alleging a Government cover-up about the scale of mental health issues among child asylum seekers.
Psychiatrist Dr Peter Young was the director of mental health services at detention centre service provider International Health and Mental Services (IHMS) for three years until earlier this month.
In evidence to the inquiry today, Dr Young alleged figures showing the extent of mental health issues among child asylum seekers had been covered up by the Immigration Department.
He said IHMS had collected figures showing "significant" mental health problems among a significant number of child detainees.
He said the "early data" was "broadly in line with what we are seeing with adults and perhaps a little higher".
Dr Young said IHMS provided a report to the Immigration Department "in the couple of weeks as [the data had] come in" and that the reaction was "negative".
"[The Immigration Department] reacted with alarm and have asked us to withdraw these figures from our reporting," he said.
Gasps were heard in the gallery and the inquiry's barrister Naomi Sharp asked who had sought the data's removal.
"I am not sure exactly. It comes from the department," Dr Young said.
And:
Both doctors told the inquiry that children with complex medical problems just cannot be treated on Christmas Island as there are no child psychologists, paediatricians or specialised children's mental health services.
Dr Sanggaran said detainees' glasses, hearing aids and medication were taken when they arrived on the island.
"One of the most concerning things I saw was nurses popping pills into a bin," he said.
He told the inquiry doctors often did not know what medication children were taking, or what it was for.
He gave an example of a three-year-old girl suffering epilepsy whose medication was taken from her when she arrived at Christmas Island.
Dr Sanggaran said the child started having seizures and medication was ordered from the mainland but that ran out and the seizures returned.
He said she was eventually transferred off the island.
Devious, treacherous, murderous, neanderthal, sub-human of the West.
Topic: Immigration detention inquiry: Government tried to cover up