$10.4m spent on housing and legal costs associated with Abdul Nacer Benbrika

The Home Affairs Department has spent a huge amount of money on jail and legal costs for Abdul Nacer Benbrika who planned terror attacks on Melbourne landmarks.

Taxpayers have forked out more than $10m on jail and legal costs for one of Australia’s most notorious terrorists, Abdul Nacer Benbrika, in the past three years.

The eye-watering figure has prompted calls for greater scrutiny over Home Affairs Department spending, with Benbrika released into the community in December after commonwealth prosecutors failed to secure another detention order.

The costs were incurred when Benbrika remained behind bars for three years after he had completed his 15-year sentence for leading a terror cell that plotted attacks on Melbourne landmarks.

Greens senator David Shoebridge said on Tuesday the department had spent an extraordinary amount on its failed attempts to permanently detain Benbrika.

Convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika was released into the community in December 2023.

He said more than $6000 a day was spent detaining Benbrika, when the average cost for an adult inmate nationwide was less than $400.

“The millions of dollars was spent on excessive security, constant monitoring and endless bureaucratic meddling,” Senator Shoebridge said.

“None of the detention costs were spent on therapy or treatment, which was provided separately by the Victorian government. It is hard to see what tax­payers gained from all of this.”

Figures released during Senate estimates reveal $9.9m was spent on housing and legal costs associated with Benbrika between November 2020 and June 2023.

Benbrika outside his Dallas home in December 2023. Picture: David Crosling

This included $5m on housing him on a continuing detention order, $4.7m on legal expenditure and $200,000 on housing for seven weeks on an interim detention order.

The commonwealth also incurred almost $532,000 in legal costs for work on Benbrika’s post-sentence order proceedings from July 2023 to date, according to figures obtained from the Attorney-General’s Department.

Senator Shoebridge said scrutiny was needed over the billions spent by the department, which he claimed was “run like a secret personal fiefdom under former secretary (Michael) Pezzullo”.

The department did not respond when asked about the costs incurred for Benbrika’s final six months in prison and the extended supervision order.