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

<p>The Australian government is spending millions of dollars a year to house asylum seekers, yet many say they can not afford food and are forced to skip meals</p><ul><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>Refugees and asylum seekers held on Nauru claim they can’t afford to eat and are forced to skip meals. Their plight comes despite <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/29/us-private-prisons-operator-paid-790m-to-hold-100-people-on-nauru-in-quiet-expansion-of-contract">Australia spending $1.5m per person</a> for a US prisons operator to house them, although the contract does not provide food.</p><p>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.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/oct/03/refugees-and-asylum-seekers-on-nauru-going-hungry-despite-government-spending-15m-a-year-for-each-person">Continue reading...</a>