Asylum-seeker payouts give us broader scope: Morrison

Big increases in Australian government payments to asylum seekers who decide to return home simply allows "broader scope" to help them out, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison insists.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison. (AAP)

Settlement or return packages are tailored to individual circumstances and may involve the Australian taxpayer covering housing or training costs once asylum seekers head home.

Payments now range between $3300 and $10,000 depending on where the person came from, Fairfax Media reported.

Under Labor, packages on offer were about $1500 to $2000.

Mr Morrison said the number of people on bridging visas who decided to return to their home country had tripled since the Abbott government made it clear they wouldn't get permanent residency.

But the change to payment figures was more recent.

"Where people are considering going home, then we can be in a position to help them act on that," he told Ten Network on Sunday.

"We've only just given ourselves broader scope. It's a matter of having more options available."

The minister always intended to encourage people who decided to return home, he said.

It costs the government about $45,000 a year to support someone staying in Australia on a bridging visa.




Share

1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world