Malcolm Turnbull has rejected an Amnesty International report condemning Australia’s offshore detention regime on Nauru as akin to torture and an “open-air prison”. Asked if conditions amounted to torture, Turnbull replied: “Well, I reject that claim totally, it is ... absolutely false. “Experience tells me that you don’t know what the numbers are until the votes are finally counted,” Turnbull said. Turnbull criticised opponents of the plebiscite, who he said were delaying same-sex marriage on the basis of “process only”. Turnbull said he would not engage in negotiations on radio and would instead deal respectfully with crossbench senators.

Source: The Guardian October 17, 2016 22:03 UTC