reply to letter to Coffs Advocate re spending on Asylum Seekers published 20 September 2017

_{From: Marlene
Sent: Friday, 15 September 2017 2:12 PM
To: 'editorial@coffscoastadvocate.com.au'
Subject: Letter to the editor.} 

_{Dear Editor,}

_{It is understandable that many of your readers like Mr Piper of Bellingen are concerned to protect their hard earned income and savings. They may therefore question government spending on refugees. In particular they are often opposed to refugees on Nauru and Manus Island being settled in Australia. Perhaps if they look at the statistics on the costs of detention they may be surprised.} 

It costs over $500, 000 per year to keep one asylum seeker in offshore detention.  By contrast it costs $40, 000 per year to resettle and support them in here in Australia. So the Australian taxpayer is paying 12 times more each year to keep refugees off  the Australian mainland and on Nauru and Manus Islands where they are detained indefinitely in appalling conditions. 

We cannot as a country ignore international human rights laws. These refugees have a right to seek asylum and we are obliged to resettle them somewhere. 

Surveys demonstrate that once refugees have settled here they contribute greatly to Australian communities. Let’s not forget that many of them are highly skilled professional people who have fled war-torn countries where their lives were in danger. 

The legitimacy of their claims to asylum is often questioned.  If they were brought to Australia they would only be allowed to stay if, at the end of a statutory assessment process, they are found to have a legitimate claim to our protection. 

If the greatest concern to Mr Piper and others is the cost of our governments present policy they should be pressing for the closure of hugely expensive offshore detention centres and supporting the resettlement of genuine refugees in Australia where they can rebuild their lives and contribute to Australian society. 

_{Marlene Griffin}