Asylum seekers on Nauru going hungry despite government spending $1.5m a year for each person

Refugees and asylum seekers say their health is deteriorating as they are unable to afford expensive fruit and vegetables on Nauru. Composite: Victoria Hart/Getty images

Refugees and asylum seekers held on Nauru claim they can’t afford to eat and are forced to skip meals. Their plight comes despite Australia spending $1.5m per person for a US prisons operator to house them, although the contract does not provide food.

One asylum seeker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed he often skipped meals to make his fortnightly stipend of $230 from Australia’s home affairs department last.