[Greens-Media] Abbott’s spin on refugees revealed: Immigration Detention budget has increased, not decreased.

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

MEDIA RELEASE

Wednesday, 14 May 2014

Abbott’s spin on refugees revealed: Immigration Detention budget has increased, not decreased.

Far from making savings in refugee detention, this year’s Budget papers have shown that the bill for asylum seeker management has grown from $7.5 billion to $8.3 billion, when compared to last year’s Budget papers.

“The Abbott Government has committed to spending more than $8 billion on locking up refugee children and their families,” the Greens’ immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

“Slashing foreign aid funding by $7.9 billion while spending more than $8 billion on refugee cruelty just shows how twisted this Abbott Government’s priorities really are.

“The billions wasted on refugee detention could have been spent on Australian families who will be struggling to make ends meet after this incredibly harsh Budget.

“Far from making a saving, this years’ Budget has allocated almost a billion dollars extra for refugee detention when compared to last year’s.

“The Government’s secretive immigration Budget, and its so called ‘savings’, are simply spin and cost shifting to the states.

“If the Abbott Government really wants to save tax payer’s money, it would close the offshore detention camps and avoid their multi-billion dollar price tag.”


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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