Federal Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is lashing out at journalists and refugee advocates for allegedly "defaming" him by reporting allegations of horrific abuses suffered by refugees and asylum seekers in the Australian detention camp on Nauru.

In an interview with ABC Radio, Mr. Dutton criticized the ABC and The Guardian newspaper for reporting on the problems in Nauru - which include rape and violence, sub-standard care, and suicide attempts among detainees.  But the former cop accused the advocacy group Save The Children Australia of allegedly leaking the story.

"The ABC reporting on The Guardian's reports, who report on ABC reports do not help people in these centers," Mr. Dutton told ABC's AM radio program.  "We received correspondence from Save the Children, we do on a regular basis, they leaked the 2,100 documents that The Guardian's reporting that the ABC reports on, and we will look at each of those cases."

Save The Children was unequivocal:  "We have respected the terms of our contract with the Australian government, the provisions of the Australian Border Force Act, and the confidentiality of our client that prevents us from speaking publicly about the specific incidents that our staff witnessed in the Nauru detention center," said Save The Children's public affairs director Matt Tinker.  "Minister Dutton's claims on AM this morning that we leaked the documents are false."

The government has "a history of shooting the messenger" in relation to Nauru, said Mr. Tinkler.

As far as Manus Island goes, Dutton confirmed that Australia would not take any of the 854 detainees once it closes.  But he admits that fewer than 20 of them agreed to be resettled in PNG - which he blames on the media.

"Academics and people from the ABC and The Guardian offering up free advice on how people should stay and not accept or take a different course of action, it's counterproductive," Dutton said.

Some of the men who had been moved to PNG had been robbed and assaulted - and in one case, left homeless.  They actually made their way back to Manus Island and tried to break in, because the detention camp was a better situation.

Although Australia and PNG this week agreed to shut down the Manus Island detention center, there's still no timeline on getting it done.