File a claim or leave, Australia tells refugees

AUSTRALIA yesterday told 7,500 would-be asylum seekers they have until October to make their case or be kicked out amid claims that they had cost the country billions in upkeep.

Under Australia’s former Labor Party government, more than 50,000 asylum-seekers arrived over a five-yearperiod. Hundreds more, many from war-torn Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and the Middle East, died at sea during the treacherous journey.

Of those arrivals, Labor processed nearly 20,000, leaving 30,500 to the current conservative administration, which took over in 2013 and has pursued a harder line on immigration.

Of that figure, some 7,500 refugees have yet to present their cases for asylum or are refusing to answer questions about their identity. Peter Dutton, Australia’s immigration minister, said that if they failed to lodge a claim by Oct 1 they would be removed from the country and banned from re-entering.

Mr Dutton said the cost of processing and supporting the 50,000 arrivals had amounted to A$1.9billion (£1.1billion) a year, and things had now reached a “very serious situation”.

“[If ] people think that they can rip the Australian taxpayer off, if people think they can con the Australian taxpayer, then I’m sorry, the game’s up,” he said.

Refugee advocates reacted furiously, saying the government had sunk to “an impossible new low”.

“Asylum claims are extremely complex, and involve hours of poring over legal documents and paperwork,” said Shen Narayanasamy, human rights director at campaign group Getup. “Legal services are pushed to the limit forcing hundreds to forgo legal advice and interpreters, making their claims impossibly difficult to complete.”