** relevant answers to Senate Estimates Questions on Notice attached ***
MEDIA STATEMENT
Monday 7 November 2011
LATEST ASYLUM BUDGET BLOWOUTS ARE AN INSULT TO AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES
Revelations that unaccompanied minors who arrive by boat are being given up to $2,000 for excursions, music lessons and sports fees, while the phone and internet bill for detainees on Christmas Island eclipsed $1.3 million last year, are a further slap in the face for taxpayers forced to pay for Labor's border protection failures, especially families dealing with rising costs of living, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Scott Morrison said today.
“While families are doing it tough and will do even tougher under Labor’s carbon tax, Labor is spending up to $2,000 of taxpayer’s money a year on excursions, music lessons and sports club fees for each accompanied minor in community detention,” Mr Morrison said.
“This government needs to get their priorities right. These types of expenses test the patience of Australians with a Government that simply doesn't understand the financial pressures they are facing and the decisions they are being forced to make around the kitchen table,” he said.
“Rising costs of living mean Australian families are making hard decisions every day about what they can and cannot afford. School excursions, music lessons and sports club fees for the kids are too often the things they’ll have to go without.
“While Labor are giving Australian families the world’s biggest carbon tax that will add further pressure to family budgets, they are providing asylum seekers up to $2,000 for every child to take part in activities that many Australian families will not be able to afford this year.
“Sadly, spending more than $1 million on phones and internet at just one detention centre has become commonplace under Labor’s failed border protection policies. What many Australians will not know are the allowances being provided to detainees released into the community, who so far have not been found to be refugees.
“Despite these latest budget blow outs the Government still hasn’t detailed how much their new 'everybody out' policy will cost on asylum seekers as they crab walk away from mandatory detention. Last week the Treasurer refused to answer questions on the likely cost of their new 'Greens solution' of allowing everyone out into the community and the cost of continuing onshore processing, that has been Labor's policy for the past three and half years.
“The Government couldn’t even say how much its budget for management of illegal boat arrivals will blow out by this financial year. They only budgeted for 750 people to arrive but almost double that have turned up already.
“Taxpayers have been asked to spend billions to pay for the Government’s failed border protection policies. This will only get worse because Labor’s political pride stands in the way of a proven solution to stop the boats,” Mr Morrison said.