The newly crowned Australian of the Year, Patrick McGorry, has taken the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, to task over the detention of asylum seekers, which he described as ''an absolute disaster that we must not repeat''.

But Deputy Prime Julia Gillard said today that asylum seekers would continue to be held in Australian detention centres.


Speaking in Melbourne, Ms Gillard said it was good that Professor McGorry's comments had sparked "a conversation" about mental health but the Federal Government was not always going to agree with his opinion.
"Obviously, Mr [sic] McGorry has got his views on immigration and mandatory detention," she told reporters in Melton following an Australia Day citizenship ceremony.

"The views of the Government are clear. We believe mandatory detention is necessary when people arrive unauthorised, for security reasons, in order to do health checks and in order to check identity, and we will continue to have a mandatory detention policy.

"Mr McGorry, as Australian of the Year, is there in a very special role which enables him to engage in community debate, and so he should."...........