The claim omits critical context about Australia's offshore detention policy and its bipartisan history:
**Bipartisan Policy Origins:** Australia's offshore detention policy was not unique to the Coalition government.
It was first implemented in 2001 by the Howard government (Coalition) as the "Pacific Solution" but was re-established in 2012 by the Gillard Labor government through the *Migration Amendment (Regional Processing and Other Measures) Act 2012*, which reopened offshore processing facilities in Nauru and Manus Island [4].
The policy initially had bipartisan support from both Liberal and Labor parties when first introduced [4].
**Labor's Continuation:** The Rudd government (Labor) attempted reforms but ultimately maintained and expanded offshore processing.
In 2013, Kevin Rudd announced that asylum seekers arriving by boat would be sent to Papua New Guinea for processing and resettlement—the "PNG Solution"—which maintained the same fundamental policy framework of offshore detention [5].
**Policy Rationale:** The government's stated justification for the hardline approach was deterrence—preventing dangerous boat journeys that had resulted in hundreds of deaths at sea.
The Coalition's "Operation Sovereign Borders" policy continued the offshore detention framework with the stated goal of stopping people smuggling and preventing drownings.
**Comparative Context:** The claim presents this as a uniquely Coalition policy issue, but the underlying detention conditions and policy framework were established and maintained by both major parties.
Both Labor and Coalition governments faced similar reports of mental health crises and self-harm in detention facilities throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
**WAtoday (Original Source):** WAtoday is the digital platform for The West Australian newspaper, a mainstream metropolitan daily newspaper based in Perth.
The specific article cited was a factual news report about the suicide attempt reports [6].
**Additional Sources Consulted:**
- The Guardian Australia: Generally left-leaning editorial stance but factual reporting
- ABC News: Public broadcaster with statutory obligation to impartiality
- Human Rights Commission: Independent statutory authority that documented conditions in detention
The original source appears credible as a mainstream news outlet reporting on events that were independently confirmed by multiple sources including the Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs [2].
Labor governments maintained and expanded offshore detention policies:
- **2012 Reopening:** The Gillard Labor government re-established offshore processing in Nauru and Manus Island in 2012 after the High Court had previously struck down the "Malaysia Solution" [4].
- **PNG Solution (2013):** Kevin Rudd announced that no asylum seekers arriving by boat would be settled in Australia, instead being sent to PNG for processing and resettlement there [5].
- **Children in Detention:** Reports of children and mothers suffering mental health issues in detention occurred under both governments.
はい Hai 。 .
The Australian Human Rights Commission's 2014 report on children in detention documented cases across multiple years spanning both Labor and Coalition administrations [7].
- **Detention Conditions:** The "torturous" conditions referenced in the claim were not unique to the Coalition period.
Independent reports, including from the Human Rights Commission and UN bodies, documented serious concerns about detention conditions under both Labor and Coalition governments [7][8].
**Scale Comparison:** Both parties implemented fundamentally similar policies of mandatory detention and offshore processing.
The primary difference was rhetorical—the Coalition was more publicly strident about border protection, while Labor attempted to frame their policies with more humanitarian language while maintaining similar operational frameworks.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young stated: "Mothers contemplating harming themselves, sacrificing their own lives in desperation of giving their children a future.
She rejected Abbott's "moral blackmail" characterization, saying "it is a little hard to succumb to moral blackmail when you're already morally bankrupt" [2].
A leaked report obtained by Guardian Australia revealed that most pregnant women in detention on Nauru were suffering depression [1].
**Government Justification:**
The government maintained that:
1.
Those involved were receiving "proper and appropriate medical and other support" including mental health nurses, counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists [2]
2.
The reports were potentially "overblown" by refugee advocates
**Tony Abbott's Position:**
Abbott's "moral blackmail" comment represented the government's stance that policy decisions affecting national borders should not be dictated by individual acts of desperation in detention.
While critics viewed this as cruel, the government framed it as necessary resolve to maintain a policy they believed was saving lives by deterring dangerous sea voyages.
**Key Context:** The mental health crisis in detention facilities was a systemic issue spanning both Labor and Coalition governments.
The claim's framing of this as a uniquely Coalition issue ignores the bipartisan nature of Australia's offshore detention policy and its documented harms under governments of both parties.
The core factual elements are accurate: reports of approximately 10 mothers expressing suicidal intentions on Christmas Island in July 2014 were confirmed by multiple sources including the Human Rights Commission president.
The Coalition government, through Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Immigration Minister Scott Morrison, did maintain its policy stance without apology, with Abbott explicitly stating the government would not be subjected to "moral blackmail."
However, the claim is misleading in its framing.
The characterization of the facilities as "torturous asylum seeker prisons" reflects advocacy language rather than neutral description
The claim omits the bipartisan nature of the policy and the fact that detention conditions raised similar concerns under Labor governments.
The core factual elements are accurate: reports of approximately 10 mothers expressing suicidal intentions on Christmas Island in July 2014 were confirmed by multiple sources including the Human Rights Commission president.
The Coalition government, through Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Immigration Minister Scott Morrison, did maintain its policy stance without apology, with Abbott explicitly stating the government would not be subjected to "moral blackmail."
However, the claim is misleading in its framing.
The characterization of the facilities as "torturous asylum seeker prisons" reflects advocacy language rather than neutral description
The claim omits the bipartisan nature of the policy and the fact that detention conditions raised similar concerns under Labor governments.