Nurses federation backs baby Asha

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation has come out in support of Brisbane hospital staff who are refusing to discharge an asylum seeker baby back to detention on Nauru.

ANMF Federal Secretary Lee Thomas called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to directly intervene and "show some compassion" in the case of twelve-month-old Asha, who remains in Lady Cilento Children's Hospital.

Asha has recovered from accidental burns she suffered from boiling water while in detention on Nauru, but hospital staff are refusing to discharge her until "a suitable home environment is identified".

Ms Thomas said that as a father and grandfather Mr Turnbull must realise "Nauru is not a safe environment for a sick baby" and the federation stood in solidarity with the hospital's nurses.

"The government's policy of indefinite detention, especially of children, is morally unacceptable," she said.

The government has remained firm on returning Asha and her parents to Nauru but has said it will give the family 72 hours notice before deporting them back to detention.