A modest increase in the offshore refugee and humanitarian intakeAustralia will increase its total numbers for the refugee and humanitarian protection migration program by 500 to 13,500 in 2008-09. These 500 places will be allocated to refugees and humanitarian migrants from Iraq. It is anticipated that this additional intake will contribute $4.6 million to Commonwealth government revenue over four years, partially offsetting the cost of $35.3 million over four years.
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In addition, up to 600 places (separate from the 13,500 places mentioned above) will be available for resettlement of Iraqis who have assisted the Australian military. $42 million over four years spread across a number of departments is being provided to cover the costs associated with this intake of 600.
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From 2009-2010 the government will increase its total intake under the program to 13,750 places. The additional 750 places over 2007-08 levels will be specifically for humanitarian entrants. The additional contribution to revenue is expected to be $12.1 million over four years, partially offsetting the initial cost of increasing the program of $85 million over four years.
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$13.7 million over four years will be dedicated from existing resources to ?increase Australia's operational and liaison capability in relation to immigration matters in the Middle East region?.
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$13 million will be spent on travel costs (6,500 individuals) and medical testing costs (12,000 individuals) for refugees and humanitarian entrants in 2008-09.
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Community Care Pilot, case management and ASAS
$5.6 million will be provided for the CCP and case management until June 2009, representing a renewal of funding at the same level for 12 months. There is no recurrent funding in the budget for this scheme. It is important to note that in some States case management for people in detention and case management through the CCP are drawn from the same budget line item.
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Funding for the Red Cross Asylum Seeker Assistance Scheme will increase from $5.2 million to $7.1 million in 2008-09. It is estimated that 2,750 people will be helped through ASAS in the coming year.
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Staffing and reform for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship
The Government will provide $50.0 million over four years to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to complete reforms to departmental operations in response to the findings of the Palmer and Comrie reports.
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A further $37.1 million will be contributed to reforming IT systems further to the recommendations of the Palmer and Comrie reports.
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Detention
$120 million (down from $142 million in 2007-08) will be spent on detention operations, including $85.8 million for new detention contracts.$1.1 million will be spent by DIAC on scoping, feasibility studies and new designs for the redevelopment of the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. The Department of Finance?and Deregulation has allocated $40.1 million over three years as a capital investment for the redevelopment of Villawood IDC.
DIAC is budgeting for 250 individuals in detention to have access to the Immigration Advice and Applications Assistance Scheme (IAAAS) in 2008-09.
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A Reconnecting People Assistance Package (RPAP) will be available to ?eligible individuals who have been adversely affected as a direct result of their inappropriate immigration detention within Australia?. $400,000 has been allocated to RPAP for 2008-09.
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It is intended that the Christmas Island Immigration Detention Centre be commissioned and ready for operation by November 2008. It is unclear exactly how much more money will be allocated to the construction aspects of this centre, because this money is bundled in with the total $50 million allocated for DIAC?s ?assistance to other countries in our region in countering people smuggling and illegal people movements? in 2008-09.
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$23 million has been budgeted for processing of protection applications made by asylum seekers held on Christmas Island, as well as payment for their care and accommodation in 2008-09.
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There is no reference in the budget to measures for addressing the issue of detention debts.
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Border Security and Regional Security Measures
In 2008-09, DIAC will spend $518.7 million on border security, compliance and detention compared with $551.4 million on all settlement services associated with the refugee and humanitarian program. This compares with the 2007-08 expenditure of $557.7 million on border security, compliance and detention, and $489.2 million on settlement services.In addition to the $518.7 million from DIAC for border security, compliance and detention, other government departments have budgeted for:
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$144 million in 2008-09 for investigating border crimes and international crime networks. This includes people smuggling, human trafficking, drug trafficking and other transnational crime.
$398 million over four years for border enforcement plus $387 million over four years for maritime interception activities, including an additional $1.1 million to Defence to continue providing aerial surveillance in Australia's northern waters ?to deter unauthorised arrivals? and disrupt people smuggling operations, bringing the total spent on northern interception activities to $49.4 million in 2008-09. A further $4.9 million over two years will be allocated to Customs to cover ?replacement strategies? for surveillance vessels
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$245 million over four years will be spent on a National Security, Air Security Officer Program. (A $1.5 million cut will be made to the budget for airport liaison officers in 2008-09.)
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Money for ?initiatives to address the situation of displaced persons and promote sustainable returns? will be more than doubled in 2008-09 to $16.5 million.
The $7.5 million spent last year on the ?management and care of irregular immigrants project in Indonesia? has not been renewed, although it is unclear what the future of this project will be.
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$34.1 million over four years will be provided to the Australian Federal Police, in part to assist in ?strengthening the counter-terrorism capabilities of regional law enforcement partners?.
$5.1 million over four years from 2007-08 will be spent on the establishment of an Asia-Pacific Centre for Civil-Military Cooperation in Queanbeyan, New South Wales. ?The Centre will provide training and will liaise with Australian and international government and non-government organisations to help Australia to develop future responses to stabilisation, reconstruction and peace building needs in the Asia-Pacific region.?
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A Pacific Police Development program will receive $80 million over four years.
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Through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade the government will allocate some funding to ?strengthen whole-of-government efforts for regional cooperation on people smuggling? and promote human rights internationally within the $376 million line item, ?Protection and advocacy of Australia?s international interests through the provision of policy advice to ministers and overseas diplomatic activity?. This figure has not been disaggregated.
$1 billion will be provided in 2008-09 as an overseas military operations reserve fund.
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$216.9 million over five years will be given to the Australian Federal Police to increase overall police numbers as well as retention rates.$2.6 million over three years will be given to the Indonesian government to fund a ?partnership between the Indonesian and Australian immigration agencies that will strengthen Indonesia's capacity to protect its borders by rebuilding Indonesia's movement alert list system at five major ports and the immigration headquarters in Jakarta.?$8.4 million over four years will be provided for intelligence purposes relating to illegal foreign fishing operations in the Southern Ocean.
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Broader Human Rights measures
$2.8 million over two years from 2007-08 will be provided to facilitate national public consultations regarding ?the recognition and protection of human rights and the recognition of civil responsibilities?.
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HREOC will have their staffing levels reduced by 13% in 2008-09 on 2007-08 levels.
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RILC?s Response to the 2008-09 Federal Budget?
Detention It is extremely disappointing that far more money is being committed to exorbitant and inhumane incarceration of innocent people, rather than to more reasonable, inexpensive and humane alternatives.?
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The measures are extremely disappointing. They represent the continuation of a fundamentally flawed approach, which continues to prioritise the resourcing of detention facilities, rather than community-based measures and the use of detention only as a last resort, despite the clear-cut evidence of human rights violations and profound damage inflicted on human beings by mandatory detention.
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While the extension of the Case Management and Community Care Pilot program are welcome, provision of targeted assistance and practical support for health, welfare and legal needs to people while their immigration status is resolved should move from a pilot to a fully funded permanent program.
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Temporary Protection Visas
?We are delighted by the common sense and humane decision to abolish this fundamentally flawed, unjust and dehumanising policy. ?
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The TPV policy retraumatised thousands of recognized refugees who were left in a twilight zone, denied basic rights, and subject to forced separation from family - wives, husbands, children and parents. Every day was another day of damage to TPV holders and their families.? The end of this policy will contribute substantially to refugees being able to rebuild their lives in safety and with dignity.
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Refugee and Special Humanitarian program - "families have been forgotten" This budget is a serious blow to the hopes of many thousands of refugees and migrants suffering prolonged separation from close family stranded overseas in often precarious situations. Not one extra place has been allocated for family reunion this year.
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The increase of 500 Refugee (non-family reunion) places is insufficient, and families have been completely forgotten. It fails to adequately deal with the third wave of suffering caused by the restrictiveness of family reunion as 'new' Australians often face prolonged separation from family stranded overseas. The downstream effects are often destructive. The increase of 750 humanitarian ?family reunion? places from 2009-10 is too little and too late.
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It also fails to fully address the years of discrimination and damage suffered by TPV holders by failing to guarantee timely family reunion. On current estimates, it's likely to be at least a decade after their arrival in Australia as genuine refugees before many are able to reunite with close family.
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Skilled increase The increase continues the trend of focusing disproportionately on the relatively affluent and skilled to the denial of the profound humanitarian needs of those less well off and the many thousands in our community suffering long-term dislocation from family. It also fails to adequately address the serious demand for unskilled labour.
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Workforce language training We welcome the allocation of almost $50 million to strengthen measures to help migrants gain the language skills training to help with joining the Australian workforce. Enhancing workforce training and employment through improved language skills is an important pathway to participation and inclusion in the community for many migrants.
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46 DIAC staff will be cut from its Australian-based operations associated with overseas posts (this is likely to include staff from the offshore protection branches of DIAC based in Australia). A further 179 staff will be cut from settlement services in 2008-09. 7 staff will be cut from the MRT-RRT.
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