All asylum seeker children to leave Nauru: Brandis
London: George Brandis has confirmed the Australian government is aiming to have all child asylum seekers off Nauru by the end of the year, after being grilled on an influential London radio station about Australia's treatment of refugees.
The former Attorney-General, now Australia's high commissioner to the United Kingdom, brushed aside repeated questions during his interview with Shelagh Fogarty on talkback station LBC and said there were "hardly any children" on the tiny Pacific island.
On Monday, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said there were 50 children left on the island and that his intention was to get that to zero, with 200 children in Australia having already been transferred. On Thursday, News Corp said the number of children had already come down to 40.
Mr Brandis confirmed a target had been set to have all children removed by the end of the year.
"This is a problem that has largely gone away. There are hardly any children in Nauru and in New Guinea and we expect that by the end of this year there'll be none," he said.
Mr Brandis said a lot of the criticism directed at Australia over its human rights record was "simply wrong headed".
"We are very strict on illegal entrants, we are very generous towards refugees and we are very embracing of, and very proud of, having a large intake of migrants every year," he said.
In recent weeks, the government has been under intense pressure to resolve what many doctors and other health professionals said is a mental health crisis on the island.
Mr Brandis said children were provided with taxpayer-funded health and mental health services.
When asked if he accepted the criticism, he said he "notes" it.
Most Viewed in Politics
Please explain
Our weekly podcast giving you insight into the stories that drive the nation.
Listen now