Australia payout to young migrant

Shayan Badraie spent some time in the notorious Woomera camp

An 11-year-old Iranian boy has won A$400,000 (US$297,000) in damages from Australia's government for trauma sustained while in detention.

Shayan Badraie's lawyers said he had post-traumatic stress disorder from being held in immigration camps between the ages of five and seven.

The Badraie family has now been granted permanent residency visas.

Australia's government abolished its policy of mandatory detention for illegal migrants with children in July.

The government has also been ordered to pay costs to the Badraie family in the 64-day court case, which lawyer Rebecca Gilsenan said could total more than A$1m (US$746,000), according to The Age newspaper.

Ms Gilsenan said the "landmark outcome" could pave the way for claims from other detainees.

He witnessed a series of incredibly traumatic and violent events, the sort of events no adult or no child should be exposed to Rebecca Gilsenan, lawyer

"I can only hope that the government takes notice of this and doesn't continue to spend taxpayer money on having to compensate people for treating them in a disgraceful way in immigration detention," she told reporters.

Shayan Badraie spent 2000-2002 with his family in South Australia state's Woomera and Sydney's Villawood detention centres, where, according to his lawyers, he witnessed riots, people trying to commit suicide and hunger strikes.

"He witnessed a series of incredibly traumatic and violent events, the sort of events no adult or no child should be exposed to," Ms Gilsenan said.

"Within a year of being detained at the detention centre, or even nine months... he had developed psychiatric illness to the point of diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and later depression."

Shayan Badraie now attends school in Sydney, but still needs care.

"No amount of money can give our son back his childhood," his family said in a statement.

"But it will help us to get the educational and medical assistance he needs to recover from what happened."

The Australian authorities still exercise mandatory detention for illegal immigrants, but relaxed the rules for families with children last year.

Prime Minister John Howard defended his approach to immigration on Friday.

"Obviously I'm happy with the government's policy," he told reporters. "They wouldn't be government policies if I weren't happy with them."