According to Guardian Australia, nine asylum-seeker mothers were placed on suicide watch following reported self-harm attempts [1].
聖誕島 shèng dàn dǎo 郡 jùn 主席 zhǔ xí Gordon Gordon Thomson Thomson 表示 biǎo shì , , 這些 zhè xiē 女性 nǚ xìng 「 「 相信 xiāng xìn 如果 rú guǒ 她們 tā men 犧牲 xī shēng 自己 zì jǐ , , 孩子 hái zi 們 men 長 zhǎng 大後會 dà hòu huì 明白 míng bái 她 tā 們 men 為 wèi 他們 tā men 做 zuò 了 le 最好 zuì hǎo 的 de 事 shì , , 給他 gěi tā 們 men 在 zài 澳洲 ào zhōu 生活 shēng huó 的 de 機會 jī huì 」 」 [ [ 1 1 ] ] 。 。
Christmas Island shire president Gordon Thomson stated the women "believe that if they sacrifice themselves the children will grow up to learn they did the best thing for them, to give them the chance to live in Australia" [1].
The government confirmed "a series of 'minor self-harm incidents'" at the Christmas Island detention centre, while disputing the scale of suicide attempts [2].
Senator Eric Abetz stated reports from refugee advocates were "overblown" and characterized the incidents as "a small number of minor self-harm incidents" where those involved were receiving "proper and appropriate medical and other support" [2].
總理 zǒng lǐ Tony Tony Abbott Abbott 回應 huí yīng 報導時 bào dǎo shí 表示 biǎo shì , , 他 tā 的 de 政府 zhèng fǔ 不會 bù huì 受到 shòu dào 「 「 道德 dào dé 勒索 lè suǒ 」 」 , , 並宣稱 bìng xuān chēng 政策 zhèng cè 不會 bù huì 被 bèi 「 「 道德 dào dé 挾持 xié chí 」 」 [ [ 2 2 ] ] [ [ 3 3 ] ] 。 。
Prime Minister Tony Abbott responded to the reports by stating his government would not be subjected to "moral blackmail" and declared the policy would not be held "over a moral barrel" [2][3].
Abbott said: "If true, it is a harrowing tale... but this is not going to be a government which has our policy driven by people who are attempting to hold us over a moral barrel.
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.
是 shì 的 de 。 。
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.
綠黨 lǜ dǎng 參議員 cān yì yuán Sarah Sarah Hanson Hanson - - Young Young 表示 biǎo shì : : 「 「 母親們 mǔ qīn men 在 zài 絕望 jué wàng 中考 zhōng kǎo 慮 lǜ 傷害 shāng hài 自己 zì jǐ 、 、 犧牲 xī shēng 自己 zì jǐ 的 de 生命 shēng mìng , , 以給 yǐ gěi 孩子 hái zi 們 men 一個 yī gè 未來 wèi lái 。 。
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].
她 tā 拒絕 jù jué 了 le Abbott Abbott 的 de 「 「 道德 dào dé 勒索 lè suǒ 」 」 說法 shuō fǎ , , 稱 chēng 「 「 當你 dāng nǐ 已經 yǐ jīng 道德 dào dé 破產時 pò chǎn shí , , 很難 hěn nán 受到 shòu dào 道德 dào dé 勒索 lè suǒ 」 」 [ [ 2 2 ] ] 。 。
Human rights organizations documented serious mental health concerns in detention facilities.
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.
* * * * 政府 zhèng fǔ 理由 lǐ yóu : : * * * *
The hardline policy was necessary to deter dangerous boat journeys that had caused deaths at sea
3.
政府 zhèng fǔ 堅持 jiān chí 認為 rèn wèi : :
Changing policy in response to self-harm would create perverse incentives
4.
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.
核心 hé xīn 事實 shì shí 元素 yuán sù 是 shì 準確 zhǔn què 的 de : : 2014 2014 年 nián 7 7 月 yuè 聖誕島 shèng dàn dǎo 上 shàng 約 yuē 10 10 位母 wèi mǔ 親表達 qīn biǎo dá 自殺 zì shā 意圖 yì tú 的 de 報導 bào dǎo 獲得 huò dé 多個 duō gè 來源 lái yuán 確認 què rèn , , 包括 bāo kuò 人權 rén quán 委員會 wěi yuán huì 主席 zhǔ xí 。 。
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.
Coalition Coalition 政府 zhèng fǔ 通過 tōng guò 總理 zǒng lǐ Tony Tony Abbott Abbott 和 hé 移民部 yí mín bù 長 zhǎng Scott Scott Morrison Morrison 確實 què shí 維持 wéi chí 了 le 其 qí 政策 zhèng cè 立場 lì chǎng 而 ér 不 bù 道歉 dào qiàn , , Abbott Abbott 明確 míng què 表示 biǎo shì 政府 zhèng fǔ 不會 bù huì 受到 shòu dào 「 「 道德 dào dé 勒索 lè suǒ 」 」 。 。
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.
Both parties maintained fundamentally similar policies of mandatory detention
4.
3 3 . . 兩黨 liǎng dǎng 都 dōu 維持 wéi chí 了 le 基本 jī běn 相似 xiāng sì 的 de 強制 qiáng zhì 拘留 jū liú 政策 zhèng cè
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.
核心 hé xīn 事實 shì shí 元素 yuán sù 是 shì 準確 zhǔn què 的 de : : 2014 2014 年 nián 7 7 月 yuè 聖誕島 shèng dàn dǎo 上 shàng 約 yuē 10 10 位母 wèi mǔ 親表達 qīn biǎo dá 自殺 zì shā 意圖 yì tú 的 de 報導 bào dǎo 獲得 huò dé 多個 duō gè 來源 lái yuán 確認 què rèn , , 包括 bāo kuò 人權 rén quán 委員會 wěi yuán huì 主席 zhǔ xí 。 。
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.
Coalition Coalition 政府 zhèng fǔ 通過 tōng guò 總理 zǒng lǐ Tony Tony Abbott Abbott 和 hé 移民部 yí mín bù 長 zhǎng Scott Scott Morrison Morrison 確實 què shí 維持 wéi chí 了 le 其 qí 政策 zhèng cè 立場 lì chǎng 而 ér 不 bù 道歉 dào qiàn , , Abbott Abbott 明確 míng què 表示 biǎo shì 政府 zhèng fǔ 不會 bù huì 受到 shòu dào 「 「 道德 dào dé 勒索 lè suǒ 」 」 。 。
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.
Both parties maintained fundamentally similar policies of mandatory detention
4.
3 3 . . 兩黨 liǎng dǎng 都 dōu 維持 wéi chí 了 le 基本 jī běn 相似 xiāng sì 的 de 強制 qiáng zhì 拘留 jū liú 政策 zhèng cè
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.