Australia rejects Amnesty's torture claim on Nauru

Australia has rejected a human rights report comparing its asylum seeker camp on the Pacific island of Nauru to an open-air prison.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has flatly rejected claims the treatment of refugees on Nauru amounts to deliberate and systematic torture.

'I reject that claim totally ... it is absolutely false,' the Australian Prime Minister told ABC radio on Tuesday.

Australia transports asylum seekers who arrive by boat to off-shore processing centres in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

In August, the Guardian newspaper published more than 2,000 leaked reports from the immigration centre on Nauru.

An Amnesty International report said this was a "deliberate policy to inflict harm on refugees" and imposes conditions that "amount to torture".

The "incident reports" revealed widespread abuse and trauma among children and women at the centre. The Australian government said many reports were "unconfirmed allegations."

Amnesty International has accused Australia of running an open-air prison on the Pacific island nation.

Nauru has previously denied claims of abuse at the refugee centre.

Australia has been repeatedly criticised for its tough policy on refugees and asylum seekers. But the country has said the policy is necessary to discourage people risking their lives at sea to reach Australian territory.