The head of the Australian Human Rights Commission has accused the Australian government of "pulling strings" to prevent United Nations’ access to offshore processing centres in Nauru and Manus Island.
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Inspectors from a UN working group say they were denied access to Nauru after an initial invitation from the Nauruan government to investigate conditions in the detention centre.
The group’s leader Mads Andenas told a New Zealand radio station access had been cancelled, with the Nauruan government citing "practical reasons for it not being suitable, practical for us to come".
Professor Gillian Triggs blamed the Abbott government for blocking the visit.
"Behind this is the Australian government pulling the strings in relation to who denies the UN access, but it’s just outrageous to deny the UN," she told Fairfax Media.
"It’s an astonishing thing to do, to deny the very groups that are set up to monitor these matters globally with the consent of most of the international community, including Australia," she said, following a National Press Club address on Wednesday.
Professor Triggs was similarly denied access to the Nauruan detention centre in February by Immigration Minister Scott Morrison on the grounds that the commission's jurisdiction did not extend beyond Australia's borders.
Human rights advocates say this is the second time in a month that UN delegates have been refused access to Australian detention centres offshore.
Last month a delegate from the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns, was refused a meeting with asylum seekers and G4S in the Manus detention centre.
But Mr Morrison said the federal government was not involved in any decision to deny the UN access.
"In contrast to the commissioner's comments, the government will continue to respect the sovereignty and independence of Nauru and Papua New Guinea."
"The matter is one for the Nauruan government. The Australian government respects the sovereignty of Nauru,” a spokesman for Mr Morrison said.
The Nauruan government called the claims a "publicity stunt" and told the ABC the investigators had not been invited to visit the island nation.
But a source close to the operation said UN officials were surprised the Nauruan government had contradicted the working group's claims.
"Contacts with the Nauru government have been between UN officials and the Nauru UN mission in New York," the source said. "The UN officials are surprised by the statements to the contrary."
