If re-elected, the 15-page border policy released by Prime Minister Scott Morrison will impose costs on foreign criminals.
The strengthened laws requiring foreign criminals to pay for their own immigration expenses, including accommodation, food, and healthcare, are included in the Coalition’s “plan for protecting our borders.”
The Coalition has also committed to increasing frontline border personnel, providing support for refugees, and continuing its current Operation Sovereign Borders enforcement capabilities.
The Joint Agency Taskforce Operation Sovereign Borders has warned that “opportunistic maritime people smuggling enterprises may seek to assess Australia’s deterrence, disruption and response capabilities ” according to The Australian.
The Australian claims that a majority of the detainees would be able to make bail and pay their fines in a timely manner, which would save the government up to $216 million per year under the new plan.
The average duration for migrant detainees is 689 days, with daily costs totaling $456.
“We have cancelled or refused visas to over 10,000 serious criminals through our reforms to the character test and as we go through the process of deporting even more, the free ride they are getting now ends.”
“We don’t believe foreign criminals deserve free rent, food and medical treatment while we go through the process of deporting them,” Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said in a statement.