Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has hit out at “advocates and others” who he believes are pressuring refugees to “behave in a certain way”, saying the federal government will not be persuaded to change its border protection policies.

Twenty-one-year-old Somali refugee Hodan Yasin has been transferred to Australia in a critical condition after setting herself on fire on Monday.

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It follows the death of Iranian asylum seeker Omid Masoumali, who also self-immolated on the island.

Speaking in Canberra this morning, Mr Dutton accused advocates of providing false hope to those have been held in offshore detention.

“I have previously expressed my frustration and anger at advocates and others who are in contact with those in regional processing centres and who are encouraging some of these people to behave in a certain way, believing that that pressure exerted on the Australian government will see a change in our policy in relation to our border protection measures,” Mr Dutton said.

“They can oppose government policy and espouse a cause for open borders, but that is not the policy of this government, and no action advocates or those in regional processing countries take will cause the government to deviate from its course.”

He said Ms Yasin was receiving the “utmost care” after being flown from Nauru to a Brisbane hospital.

“It is of grave concern that this person would resort to such an extreme act of self-harm,” he said.

And he accused asylum seeker advocates of contributing to the increased tensions in Nauru.

“The behaviours have intensified in recent times and as we see, they have now turned to extreme acts with terrible consequences,” he said.

Woman ‘fighting for her life’

Ms Yasin is in a critical condition in a Brisbane hospital after Monday night’s incident – a protest against the continued detention of asylum seekers on the island.

The Nauru government released a statement confirming the incident and describing it as “distressing”.

Refugee advocates said the Somali woman was one of three refugees to return to Nauru after receiving medical treatment on the Australian mainland.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said she believed the woman had been detained on Nauru for three years prior to her time in Australia.

The Senator called for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to immediately intervene on Nauru.

However, the Nauruan government urged advocates to stop giving refugees and asylum seekers false hope and “stirring up these protests”.

The local government said in a statement on Monday it was distressed that refugees were attempting “dreadful acts” to influence the Australian government’s immigration policies.

“These actions are purely and simply being taken because they believe that political protests will influence the Australian Government and possibly help them gain entry to Australia,” the government said in a statement.

Labor Immigration spokesman Richard Marles said the government needed to secure a viable third country arrangement rather than just focussing on deterrence.

He said the incident, the second in a week was “a clear sign there is something wrong with how the Australian Government is managing its offshore processing network”.

This is not a complaint about living conditions: Dutton

Mr Dutton also denied the recent protests are in response to living conditions on Nauru and Manus Island.

“There is not a complaint about the living conditions, the medical services, the education, the 300 people or so who are employed on Nauru, the 30-odd who have started up small businesses,” he said.

“These complaints are largely because people want to come to Australia.

“I can understand that people have paid thousands of dollars to a people smuggler and they want to come to our country.”

He also confirmed Ms Yasin had previously been transferred to Australia and received medical assistance, before being cleared to be returned to Nauru.

Greens immigration spokesman Sarah Hanson-Young said Ms Yasin had been “driven to despair” after being forced to go back to Nauru.

“The situation on Nauru is spiralling dangerously out of control,” she said in a statement.

“Malcom Turnbull must show these people some decency and give them hope because the brutality of this policy is killing people.”

– with ABC, AAP