The head of Australia's leading medical lobby group has told Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott that they should end the mandatory detention of asylum-seekers.
The Prime Minister and Opposition Leader were guests of honour at the Australian Medical Association's annual parliamentary dinner in the Great Hall at Parliament House last night.
AMA president Steve Hambleton used his address to challenge Government and Opposition support for mandatory detention.
Dr Hambleton said there were 179 children in immigration detention in Darwin.
''The AMA believes that the system of mandatory detention of asylum-seekers is inherently harmful to the physical and mental health of detainees. The harm is especially acute in the case of children,'' he said.
''Despite improvements in the provision of health care to immigration detainees, the policy of mandatory detention and the remote location of most detainees mean that the health status of detainees continues to decline.''
Dr Hambleton said the AMA was voicing its concerns about an ethical and public health issue.
''Prime Minister and Opposition Leader, we leave the politics of asylum-seekers to you,'' he said.
''But we urge both sides of politics to do all that is possible to ensure that these poor people are assured access to quality health care.''
Dr Hambleton's comments came after Immigration Department secretary Andrew Metcalfe told a parliamentary inquiry this week that politicians should be asking questions about whether immigration detention was a deterrent and whether it facilitated case resolution.
Speaking before Dr Hambleton's address, Ms Gillard acknowledged AMA criticism of the Government's new primary health-care organisations known as Medicare Locals, which have been given responsibility for developing after-hours GP locum programs and other health services.
''Friends, I know the AMA and the Government don't have a complete meeting of minds on this issue at the moment,'' Ms Gillard said.
''It was the same in the early days of Medicare. But through dialogue and lived experience, we can give Medicare Locals a chance to prove themselves.''
Ms Gillard said the Government's health reforms had ensured the health system would receive extra funds which could not be skimmed away by the states.
Mr Abbott said that the Coalition's health policies would protect the right of doctors to be paid based on a fee-for-service principle.
''I want to say that everything that we will do in this primary health-care area rests upon our commitment to working with the private profession on the basis of fee for service,'' Mr Abbott said.
Mr Abbott criticised the introduction of Medicare Locals and slammed the Government's GP super clinics.
Dr Hambleton said he was pleased the Government was willing to discuss the AMA's criticisms of Medicare Locals and GP super clinics and of cuts to GP mental health services. ''I acknowledge the Government's preparedness to at least discuss these issues,'' he said.
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