Royal commission to consider kids on Nauru

The royal commission into child sexual abuse will have a narrowly focused public hearing about youngsters in mainland and Nauru immigration detention centres.

The commission next month will consider the federal government's response to a child protection panel's report from May last year about the wellbeing and protection of children in detention.

Refugee supporters have long called for the commission to investigate abuse claims on Nauru, however there were legal jurisdictional issues involved.

Human Rights Law Centre executive director Hugh de Kretser welcomed the announcement, saying while the royal commission was working to prevent child abuse, the federal government was holding children in conditions where abuse thrived.

"Any scrutiny of the Australian government's role in harming innocent children in its care is vital, welcome and overdue," he said.