Budget 2016: Closing 17 detention centres ‘has saved $500m’

Peter Dutton immigration facilities in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth would close.

Four of the nation’s key immigration detention facilities will shut as the Turnbull government yesterday declared its drive to slash illegal maritime arrivals had saved taxpayers more than $500 million by closing 17 centres.

Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton said the success of the government’s “stop the boats’’ campaign would mean immigration facilities at Maribyrnong in Melbourne, the Blaxland compound at Villawood in Sydney and Perth’s immigration residential housing facility would close.

Mr Dutton also announced that Darwin’s Wickham Point ­facility lease would not be renewed after November this year.

The savings incurred by the four closures will amount to nearly $40m over four years.

“This will take the total number of detention facility closures by the government to 17,’’ he said.

“While Labor was in government they opened 17 — the result of their failure to secure Australia’s borders allowing people-smugglers to send more than 50,000 ­illegal arrivals into the our country. These closures have saved Australian taxpayers more than $500m.’’

But the budget papers also show the continuing high, but ­diminishing, cost of keeping people in offshore detention.

Departmental officials said the estimated cost of offshore detention will hit more than $1 billion this financial year before falling to $880m in 2016-17 and down to $370m in 2019-20.

Mr Dutton also detailed plans for Australia to extend its humanitarian resettlement program with 18,750 places by 2018-19, up from 13,750 places next financial year.

These figures do not include the additional 12,000 places to resettle people displaced by conflicts in Syria and Iraq, with these announced last year and to be spread across the forward estimates.

The first of these people ­already have arrived in Australia.

“Up to 190,000 places will be available for permanent migration in 2016-17. This will include up to 128,550 places for skilled ­migration, 57,400 for family ­migration and 565 for migration under the special eligibility stream of the managed migration program,’’ Mr Dutton said.

“In addition, at least 3485 places will be provided for child category migrants outside the managed migration program. This continues the transition of the child category to a fully demand driven model by 2019-20.’’

Mr Dutton said the tighter control on borders had enabled the government to bolster the refugee and humanitarian program.

“This has meant Australia can offer an additional 12,000 places to resettle people displaced by conflicts in Syria and Iraq,’’ he said.