Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for the supplementary question. I share her concern about the impact of long-term detention on people’s mental health. We have recently done some work with relevant universities. I think it was the University of Newcastle that did some excellent work on the impact of long-term detention on the mental health of detainees. During the Howard era, we did see a huge impact on the mental health of detainees who were held for long periods in detention. The evidence suggests that the impact of indefinite detention has a much worse impact on people’s mental health than even, say, being in prison, because at least people in prison have a time frame for when they will be released, whereas those who are in indefinite detention have all the doubts and uncertainties about that. We have mental health experts on my ministerial advisory group, we are very much focused on the issue and we think we have enough resources to ensure that adequate care—(Time expired)