NSW Corrections Minister Geoff Lee says he will not allow the state's prison system to be "dictated to" by a United Nations delegation carrying out inspections of facilities in Australia.
The four-person delegation, which arrived in the country on October 16, cut short its visit after being denied entry to facilities across the state, including jail cells at the Queanbeyan Courthouse.
Delegation head Aisha Shujune Muhammad said it was a "clear breach by Australia of its obligations" under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT)].
"State parties have an obligation to both receive the [subcommittee] in their territory and allow it to exercise its mandate in full," Ms Muhammad said.
Australia ratified OPCAT in December 2017, after the ABC published revelations about the treatment of minors at the Northern Territory's Don Dale Juvenile Detention Centre.
But Mr Lee on Monday told a budget estimates hearing the "ongoing saga" between the NSW and federal governments regarding funding for the protocol's implementation meant he would not allow the delegation into state facilities.
"I took the view that they should not be allowed in until we reached a satisfactory response in terms of security, operational and funding arrangements, and we will continue to not let them in until we reach those levels of satisfaction," he said.
Last year NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman said he believed a visit by OPCAT inspectors would encourage a resolution of the stalemate, but to date an agreement has not been reached.
When asked by Greens MLC Sue Higginson what the government's concerns were about allowing the delegation in, Mr Lee said that it was "an unelected body".
"They're coming in to try and pick on us."
He said the UN had better things to do than find "spurious issues" in NSW correctional facilities, and should instead focus its attention on countries like Iran, "where there is torture".
Iran is not a signatory to the UN's Convention against Torture.
"What I'm worried about is things like them coming back and saying our white bread is sliced too thinly or our stairs are too narrow," Mr Lee said.
"Or that we should have blinds on our cells to give inmates more privacy."
His comments related to a report published by the subcommittee after a visit to New Zealand in 2013, which raised concerns about "monotonous" lunches consisting of white bread sandwiches and fruit, and a "steep, narrow staircase" used to escort prisoners to underground cells.
"Are these not important matters if they're not in accordance with the standards?" Ms Higginson asked.
"These are trivial matters," Mr Lee replied.
Australia’' Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay said the decision to bar the delegation sent a poor message internationally.
"We've known for a long time that we have this obligation," she said.
"This is something Australia voluntarily signed up to, and if Australia wants to be a leader in human rights then we need to be prepared to keep the promises we make on the world stage."
NSW Corrections operates 36 facilities across the state, which house approximately 12,600 prisoners.
