End this cruel policy and wasted cost of off shore detention letter published in Nambucca Guardian

_{A Million Dollars a Day !!!}

_{The  Brisbane-based company, Canstruct,  was awarded a contract last year to provide “ welfare and garrison services” for running Australia’s offshore immigration detention centre on Nauru. With a turnover of $212 million during 2017  the company has made a very healthy profit through overseeing the misery and hardship of  asylum seekers and refugees detained  on the island.} 

_{News was announced this week that the company’s contract has now been extended to April 2019 . The extension comes with a hefty increase in payment from $28.9 million to $34.4 million per month. That works out at more  than a million dollars a day to maintain our government’s cruel detention regime.}

_{In addition, our government spent $326,000 in  legal costs last year fighting requests for the  medical transfer of desperately ill children and families requiring medical care in Australia. We as Australian tax payers are footing these astronomical  bills.} 

_{It would cost much less than 10% of this astronomical sum to settle these families in the community in our own country . The asylum seekers on Nauru  have committed no crimes and under international law they are entitled to seek our protection.} 

_{It is not necessary to detain people indefinitely on remote islands to keep our borders secure. Our navy is employed to protect our borders as part of a rigorous border protection plan so why do we need to continue to keep families in offshore detention ? There is a rising tide of opinion stating that we want this cruel policy to end. Let it be soon.} 

_{Marlene Griffin}

_{Valla Beach}

_{20 November 2015}