Caroline has been for many years an advocate of better health care for asylum seekers and refugees in Australia, and has been active in providing care to women in detention. In 2003 she provided gynaecological services on Nauru that included consultations within asylum seeker women in the detention centre Top Side. Put photo of me on Nauru here
In December 2013 she visited the three Darwin detention centres then in operation as part of an official visit of inspection organised by Chilout (link); She also made informal visits to all these centres in order to meet a large number of asylum seeker women and hear their stories, and she returned to Darwin to make similar visits in 2014 and 2015. In 2014 she published in the Medical Journal of Australia an account of what she was told by these women. de Costa C. Antenatal care for asylum seeker women: is “good enough” good enough? Med J Aust 2014 Sep 1: 201(5): 299-300.
On 1st July 2015 she was a signatory along with 42 others to the Open Letter to the Prime Minister in regards to the punitive measures now in force as part of the Border Force legislation, for doctors and other professionals publicising instances of abuse or harm observed by them in detention centres.