‘..THE cost of managing asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat has blown out by more than 400 per cent to over $1 billion.
The government last year budgeted just $239 million for offshore asylum seeker management in 2011-12.
But this year’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship budget papers now put the cost at $1.06 billion.
…The government will spend $107.7 million over four years to fund the new process for determination of boat people, in response to a High Court judgement.
The government is also giving Migration Review Tribunal and the Refugee Review Tribunal an extra $14 million over four years to deal with their increased caseload.
Border protection will cost the government an estimated $1.1 billion in 2011-12. It will spend $77.1 million to continue anti-people smuggling surveillance and detection operations.
The government will also spend $33.3 million over three years to strengthen anti-people smuggling cooperation with Australia’s neighbours.
The government will also extend the lease of the ACV Triton maritime patrol vessel at a cost of $62 million. It will spend almost $44 million upgrading infrastructure at Christmas Island..’ source
Even this is only part of the cost of importing the detritus from failed shit-holes–what about the social costs? And how much are these people costing in welfare payments?
