[Greens-Media] SENATOR KERRY NETTLE: New offshore Immigration detention strategy cruel and expensive.

[Edwards, Jon (Sen K. Nettle)]

10.05.06

GREENS ADDITIONAL IMMIGRATION BUDGET COMMENT

New offshore Immigration detention strategy cruel and expensive.
	

Greens Immigration Spokesperson, Senator Kerry Nettle, has warned that
the closing of Woomera, Baxter and Port Augusta Housing project signals
the removal of asylum seekers off shore to Christmas Island away from
medical, legal and community support services. 

"The budget confirms a shift in the long term detention policy for
asylum seekers from onshore to offshore with the closure of Woomera and
mothballing of Baxter IDF being offset by constructing an 800 bed
facility on Christmas Island and consolidation of the detention camp on
Nauru," Senator Nettle said.

"An offshore policy is more expensive and crueller approach, that will
leave future asylum seekers stranded without access to proper medical,
legal and community support.

"The need to transport asylum seekers to Nauru or Christmas Island and
then fly officials and detainees to and from the mainland massively
increases the cost of the processing of asylum seekers for Australian
tax payers. 

"I asked the department of immigration in February how much it cost to
keep asylum seekers in the community compared to detention and based on
their figures we can say it is more than 5  times as expensive to keep
people in detention compared to residence determinations.

"Nauru is still costing millions per year, although the true figure is
hidden because the Memorandum of Understanding with Nauru that contains
the total funding is secret.

"The government's excision of the Australian coastline from the
migration zone will massively increase the cost of processing asylum
seekers.

"This budget is evidence that the department of immigration has not
undergone fundamental cultural shift."

Contact - Jon Edwards 0428 213 146