The Claim
“Made refugees work with deadly friable asbestos without any training and almost no equipment.”
Original Sources Provided
✅ FACTUAL VERIFICATION
The claim relates to a November 2015 ABC News report about asbestos removal work on Nauru. According to the ABC report, a Rohingya refugee testified that he was hired to do construction work as part of a Nauru government housing renovation scheme and was subsequently tasked with removing asbestos materials without adequate safety equipment [1].
The refugee stated: "Sometimes they give me masks and they give me one glove. After maybe two days, three days, another one. After three days they didn't give me anything, no gloves, no mask" [1]. The ABC published photographs showing workers wearing their own clothes instead of coveralls, with only hats and pieces of cloth as head protection while removing deteriorated asbestos roofing [1].
However, several important factual clarifications are necessary:
First, the housing renovation program was a Nauru government initiative, not an Australian government program. The Nauru government announced a $5.5 million housing renovation scheme in September 2015 to address asbestos roofing and cladding on up to 41% of the island's residences [1]. The Australian government was not directly operating this program.
Second, the Nauru government explicitly denied that refugees were involved. In a statement to the ABC, the Nauru government said: "No refugees are involved in this project" and called claims that the program was unsafe "false and more typical nonsense from the ABC" [1].
Third, the claim misattributes responsibility. The Australian Coalition government did not directly "make" refugees work on asbestos removal. The work appears to have been arranged through local employment on Nauru, which has a separate sovereign government.
Missing Context
The claim omits several critical pieces of context:
The scale of the asbestos problem on Nauru predates the 2015 renovation program. A June 2015 EU-funded report by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) found that 212,000 square metres of asbestos-laden material existed on buildings on Nauru, often 60-70 years old and in "various stages of deterioration" including "advanced stages" that posed real health risks [1]. This asbestos contamination was a legacy issue, not created by the Coalition government.
Refugees on Nauru were permitted to work. Under the regional processing arrangements, refugees who were not in closed detention could seek employment on Nauru. The ABC article notes the refugee was hired by an employer for construction work, not directly assigned by the Australian government [1].
Nauru is an independent sovereign nation. While Australia maintains a regional processing centre there and provides significant aid, Nauru has its own government responsible for domestic policies including housing renovation and workplace safety. The asbestos removal program was a Nauru government housing initiative, not an Australian government operation.
The claim conflates separate issues. The ABC report documented safety concerns about a Nauru government housing program that employed some refugees alongside local workers. The claim transforms this into an accusation that the Australian Coalition government "made refugees work" with asbestos, which misrepresents the chain of responsibility.
Source Credibility Assessment
The original source is ABC News, Australia's public broadcaster. ABC News is generally regarded as a credible mainstream media outlet with editorial standards and fact-checking processes. The article was published by the ABC's Pacific Beat program with a byline to journalist Michael Walsh.
However, the article itself presents competing claims: the testimony of an anonymous refugee and photographs versus the Nauru government's explicit denial that refugees were involved in the program. The Nauru government characterized the ABC's claims as "false" and "typical nonsense" [1].
The ABC article does not provide independent verification that the Australian government directed refugees to perform this work, nor does it establish that the Coalition government specifically was responsible for the workplace conditions described.
Labor Comparison
Did Labor do something similar?
Search conducted: "Labor government asylum seeker Nauru Manus Island offshore processing conditions"
Finding: The Nauru Regional Processing Centre has been operated by both Labor and Coalition governments. The facility was:
- Opened by the Howard Coalition government in 2001
- Closed by the Rudd Labor government in 2007 [2][3]
- Reopened by the Gillard Labor government in August 2012 [2][3]
- Continued under subsequent Coalition governments from 2013 onwards
In August 2012, Prime Minister Julia Gillard's Labor government announced the resumption of transfers of asylum seekers to Nauru and Manus Island, reinstating the offshore processing policy that had been discontinued by Kevin Rudd in 2007 [2][3].
Key comparison: Both major parties have maintained asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru under conditions that have been repeatedly criticized by human rights organizations. The 2015 asbestos incident occurred during a Nauru government housing program, not an Australian government initiative. Neither Labor nor Coalition governments can be directly blamed for the Nauru government's housing renovation workplace safety practices.
However, both governments have maintained the policy of offshore processing that places asylum seekers and refugees in Nauru where they may seek local employment under Nauruan law and workplace conditions.
Balanced Perspective
The claim that the Coalition government "made refugees work with deadly friable asbestos without any training and almost no equipment" contains factual distortions and omits critical context:
What the claim gets right: The ABC did report in November 2015 that refugees were among workers removing asbestos on Nauru with inadequate safety equipment, and a refugee provided testimony about poor working conditions [1].
What the claim gets wrong or omits:
- The asbestos removal program was a Nauru government housing initiative ($5.5 million scheme), not an Australian government program [1].
- The Nauru government explicitly denied that refugees were involved, creating a factual dispute rather than established fact [1].
- Refugees on Nauru who are not in closed detention are permitted to seek employment under Nauruan law; they were not "made" to work on asbestos by the Australian government.
- Nauru is a sovereign nation with its own workplace safety laws and enforcement.
- The asbestos problem on Nauru predated the 2015 program and resulted from decades of deterioration of 60-70 year old materials [1].
Comparative context: Both Labor and Coalition governments have operated offshore processing on Nauru. The Labor government under Julia Gillard reopened Nauru in August 2012, and the facility continued operating under the Coalition from 2013. Workplace safety conditions on Nauru fall under Nauruan jurisdiction, though Australia has been criticized by human rights organizations for the overall conditions in offshore processing generally [2][3].
Attribution issue: The claim misattributes responsibility for a Nauru government housing renovation program to the Australian Coalition government. While Australia funds Nauru generously and maintains a processing centre there, the housing program and its workplace safety practices were Nauruan government responsibilities.
MISLEADING
4.0
out of 10
The claim presents a Nauru government housing renovation program as if it were an Australian Coalition government policy that "made refugees work" with asbestos. In reality:
- The $5.5 million housing renovation scheme was a Nauru government initiative announced in September 2015 [1]
- The Nauru government explicitly denied that refugees were involved, calling such claims "false" [1]
- Refugees on Nauru who are not in detention may seek employment under local law; they were not compelled by Australia to perform asbestos work
- Nauru is a sovereign nation responsible for its own workplace safety enforcement
- The asbestos problem was a legacy issue from decades-old building materials, not created by the Coalition
While the ABC did report safety concerns about asbestos removal work that included some refugees, the claim's framing as something the Coalition government specifically "made" refugees do misrepresents the chain of responsibility and omits that this was a Nauruan government housing program under dispute.
Final Score
4.0
OUT OF 10
MISLEADING
The claim presents a Nauru government housing renovation program as if it were an Australian Coalition government policy that "made refugees work" with asbestos. In reality:
- The $5.5 million housing renovation scheme was a Nauru government initiative announced in September 2015 [1]
- The Nauru government explicitly denied that refugees were involved, calling such claims "false" [1]
- Refugees on Nauru who are not in detention may seek employment under local law; they were not compelled by Australia to perform asbestos work
- Nauru is a sovereign nation responsible for its own workplace safety enforcement
- The asbestos problem was a legacy issue from decades-old building materials, not created by the Coalition
While the ABC did report safety concerns about asbestos removal work that included some refugees, the claim's framing as something the Coalition government specifically "made" refugees do misrepresents the chain of responsibility and omits that this was a Nauruan government housing program under dispute.
📚 SOURCES & CITATIONS (3)
Rating Scale Methodology
1-3: FALSE
Factually incorrect or malicious fabrication.
4-6: PARTIAL
Some truth but context is missing or skewed.
7-9: MOSTLY TRUE
Minor technicalities or phrasing issues.
10: ACCURATE
Perfectly verified and contextually fair.
Methodology: Ratings are determined through cross-referencing official government records, independent fact-checking organizations, and primary source documents.