Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says it is "complete rubbish" that asylum seekers inside the Manus Island detention centre were denied food and water, while criticising what he deems to be irresponsible reporting of the tense stand off by the media.
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On Monday, an Emergency Response Team from Wilson Security stormed the Delta compound at the Manus Island detention centre, bringing to a halt a protest by asylum seekers who had barricaded themselves inside and were refusing to eat.
Mr Dutton praised the Papua New Guinea government and the contractor that runs the centre, Transfield, for bringing the stand off to an end as he dismissed claims from asylum seeker advocates that people were being denied food and water.
"It's [food and water] getting through and not being denied. There are circumstances where ringleaders within - the people who are in the processing centre - have denied staff access into particular areas or the delivery of that food. That is not a refusal of food by authorities," Mr Dutton told ABC radio.
"I think it's quite irresponsible frankly for those claims to be repeated and I've heard them again on the ABC and it should be clarified."
Refugee advocates had claimed water in the Delta compound had been cut off, forcing asylum seekers to drink from drains.
Advocates also claimed on Monday that several asylum seekers and one guard had been injured when Wilson Security guards entered the Delta compound.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Prime Minster Tony Abbott was asked if he was confident the detainees were not mistreated during the protest or its conclusion on Monday afternoon.
"The important thing is that order has been restored," Mr Abbott replied.
"This [the protest] was a major challenge to the policy of the government and I'm pleased to say that that challenge has been defeated."
It has been claimed up to two-thirds of asylum seekers in the four compounds of the Manus Island centre have been refusing food in protest at the looming commencement of the Australian government's plan to resettle them on PNG, rather than in Australia.
It is not possible to verify these claims independently.
Mr Dutton said authorities wanted to remove the protest ringleaders and that asylum seekers and their advocates were not helping their case by protesting.
Asked if conflict was still underway in the centre, Mr Dutton said there "will still be some people who will refuse to take water or food or will self-harm and we don't want to see that".
"That activity, if you've been advised by people, advocates or others to conduct yourself in a non-compliant way in terms of destructive behaviour or if somebody within the facility, a ringleader is telling you that somehow is going to help, it is not."
Mr Dutton would not comment on the specifics of a deal that will see Cambodia resettle refugees who attempted to come to Australia.
"Our discussions are ongoing with Cambodia and I'll go to Cambodia shortly. I don't want to publicly comment at this point in time about the specific details," he said.
