Australia spent more than $9m for each asylum seeker held on Nauru last year – so why can’t they afford to buy food?

Australia spent the equivalent of more than $9 million per person last financial year on asylum seekers held on Nauru, yet many of those still waiting for their claims to be processed say they cannot afford enough food or clean drinking water, according to a new survey reported by The Guardian World.

The survey, conducted by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), found that many of the more than 100 people detained on the tiny Pacific island are skipping meals to stretch their limited resources. The group has been sent to Nauru indefinitely while their asylum claims remain under review.

The findings raise fresh questions about the conditions faced by people held in offshore processing arrangements, especially given the scale of Australian government spending linked to their detention. The feed summary does not provide details on the specific allowance amounts available to people on the island, but it says the survey points to widespread difficulty covering basic needs.

Nauru has long been part of Australia’s offshore asylum system, and the latest report adds to scrutiny of how people placed there are living day to day. According to the monitored public feed, the ASRC survey suggests food insecurity is common among the detainee population, with some respondents saying they are going without meals to manage expenses.

The account is based on a monitored public feed and reported by The Guardian World. Further details were not included in the feed summary.

Source: The Guardian World - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/20/nauru-asylum-seeker-living-conditions-food-allowance-offshore-processing