The last four children living in Australia's asylum seeker processing centre on Nauru have been flown to the United States for resettlement. The children left the island country with their families on Wednesday afternoon. Immigration Minister David Coleman said they were the last of 2000 children living in detention when the coalition formed government in 2013. "We got them all out," he said on Thursday. "This is something the government has been working on for some time, quietly and in a way that would not impact our border protection policies." The departure of the children and their families brings the number of refugees to have been resettled in the US to 493. Another 265 refugees have been assessed but rejected by US officials. Some 394 asylum seekers remain on Nauru and 580 on Manus Island in PNG. Advocates are worried the US deal won't allow resettlement for the hundreds of asylum seekers still on the Pacific islands. "Almost six years of detention on Nauru has created a mental health crisis on the island, and the government still has no secure future for them," Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said. But Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says Australians have been "conned" into believing medical care on Nauru and Manus Island is not being provided to those who need it. Mr Dutton also suggested that recent changes to asylum seeker medical evacuations, which Labor helped legislate against the government's will, would clog Australia's health system. "We're seeing people at hospitals missing out on medical services because people are taking it from Nauru and Manus," he told reporters. "Australians will be angry about that as well." Opposition Leader Bill Shorten rubbished the minister's comments as a "complete lie" and argued any problems with the overstretched health system stemmed from Morrison government funding cuts. Mr Shorten also welcomed the news that all children had been removed from Nauru. Wentworth independent MP Kerryn Phelps was a loud supporter of the long-running "Kids Off Nauru" campaign. "This should have happened a long time ago but I'm very glad that all of the children have been moved elsewhere," she told AAP. However, Dr Phelps pointed out that some who were brought to Nauru as children had since turned 18. "We still need to be mindful of their welfare." Australian Associated Press
Immigration Minister David Coleman says the last four children and their families have left Nauru.
The last four children living in Australia's asylum seeker processing centre on Nauru have been flown to the United States for resettlement.
The children left the island country with their families on Wednesday afternoon.
Immigration Minister David Coleman said they were the last of 2000 children living in detention when the coalition formed government in 2013.
"We got them all out," he said on Thursday.
"This is something the government has been working on for some time, quietly and in a way that would not impact our border protection policies."
The departure of the children and their families brings the number of refugees to have been resettled in the US to 493.
Another 265 refugees have been assessed but rejected by US officials.
Some 394 asylum seekers remain on Nauru and 580 on Manus Island in PNG.
Advocates are worried the US deal won't allow resettlement for the hundreds of asylum seekers still on the Pacific islands.
"Almost six years of detention on Nauru has created a mental health crisis on the island, and the government still has no secure future for them," Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said.
But Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says Australians have been "conned" into believing medical care on Nauru and Manus Island is not being provided to those who need it.
Mr Dutton also suggested that recent changes to asylum seeker medical evacuations, which Labor helped legislate against the government's will, would clog Australia's health system.
"We're seeing people at hospitals missing out on medical services because people are taking it from Nauru and Manus," he told reporters.
"Australians will be angry about that as well."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten rubbished the minister's comments as a "complete lie" and argued any problems with the overstretched health system stemmed from Morrison government funding cuts.
Mr Shorten also welcomed the news that all children had been removed from Nauru.
Wentworth independent MP Kerryn Phelps was a loud supporter of the long-running "Kids Off Nauru" campaign.
"This should have happened a long time ago but I'm very glad that all of the children have been moved elsewhere," she told AAP.
However, Dr Phelps pointed out that some who were brought to Nauru as children had since turned 18.
