The immigration minister, Peter Dutton, has dug in behind his account of the origins of a disturbance on Manus Island despite his account being directly contradicted by detainees and the local top police officer, David Yapu.
Dutton told the ABC on Sunday morning he stood by his own account of the incident, where he suggested a shooting occurred after local people witnessed asylum seekers leading a five-year-old boy towards the centre.
The minister said the account he had given of the incident was “true” and he suggested he had different advice to the Manus Island regional police commander.
Dutton said he was in possession of advice “that you don’t [have], so why don’t we let the police investigation run its course and allow them some independent analysis”.
Yapu told Guardian Australia last Friday the events leading up to the shooting on Manus, where armed men stormed the compound, and the incident involving the child, were entirely separate incidents.
“It’s a total separate incident altogether,” Yapu said. “The incident that transpired on Friday was because a duty soldier was being assaulted by one of the asylum seekers or refugees.”
Yapu said a young boy had gone to the centre to ask for food about two weeks ago, but he was not led there and was 10, not five, as Dutton had suggested. He said the boy’s parents had not made a complaint, and police were not investigating any link between his visit and the shooting.
Last week Dutton told Sky News: “I think there was concern about why the boy was being led, or for what purpose he was being led, away back into the regional processing centre. I think it’s fair to say that the mood had elevated quite quickly. I think some of the local residents were quite angry about this particular incident and another alleged sexual assault,” he said.
Dutton was asked on Sunday whether, given the police chief’s account, he now accepted he had got some of the information he shared last week badly wrong.
“No, I do not,” the immigration minister said.
Dutton insisted on Sunday the incident involving the child, and a separate sexual assault, contributed to elevating the “mood” on Manus Island before the violence. “I have that on very good authority on the island,” he said. “The parents of the boy involved in the incident might have a different view to the one that you have read off tweets.”
Dutton said his comments last week on Sky News “didn’t put any blame anywhere”.
“I was asked a question as to why the mood was elevated, I’ve answered that question honestly and on advice.”
Detainees on Manus Island have also disputed Dutton’s version of events, and there have been calls for the government to release CCTV footage of the incident involving the child.
Dutton was asked on Sunday whether he would release the footage, and he said the normal practice would be followed. “We will continue to release footage as is the normal practice now,” he said.
“I’m not making an exception one way or the other in relation to this case. If it is appropriate for it, and that’s been the practice in the past, then that will happen.
“But that is an issue for the PNG government. They run Manus Island, as you know.”