[Greens-Media] Closing onshore detention centres will cost billions

[Schultz-Byard, Noah (Sen S. Hanson-Young)]

MEDIA RELEASE

Thursday, 8 May 2014

Closing onshore detention centres will cost billions

The Abbott Government's choice to close onshore centres while expanding offshore detention camps will cost billions of dollars, the Australian Greens have said.

"Claiming savings while keeping Manus Island and Nauru open is like cutting back on catering on the Prime Minister's VIP jet and saying you're making money," the Greens' immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

"The Abbott Government conveniently forgot to mention today that its offshore cruelty comes with a growing, multi-billion dollar price tag.

"When they're not keeping the Australian people in the dark, the Abbott Government is trying to play them for fools when it comes to the cost of detention.

"The Government's own Commission of Audit said that locking people up on Manus Island and Nauru costs close to half a million dollars per person, per year.

"The best way to save money would be to close the offshore camps and put a time limit on detention. With no claims currently being processed, detention times and expenditure are increasing sharply.

"The question the Abbott Government needs to answer today is, where are these people going to go? There are families, children and pregnant women in these centres who are now facing the prospect of being shipped to Nauru.

"If the government is going to shut down these centres, then they must process the residents' claims for protection quickly."


Media Contact: Noah Schultz-Byard 0427 604 760


NOAH SCHULTZ-BYARD  STRATEGY AND COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER

OFFICE OF SENATOR SARAH HANSON-YOUNG
AUSTRALIAN GREENS SENATOR FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA
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