New Zealanders who have lived in Australian detention centres say they would rather be in jail, citing brutal treatment and poor access to healthcare.
A deportee, who is now in managed isolation in Auckland, Salu moved to Australia in 2008, when he was 15 years old.
In 2019, he was handed a prison sentence of more than 12 months for assault, which made him eligible for deportation under Australia's contentious '501' policy.
He was released on parole after eight months for good behaviour, but was immediately taken to a detention centre in Brisbane, before being moved to Christmas Island, where he has spent the last seven months.
Salu told reporter Eva Corlett the conditions and treatment there were much worse than prison.
