Come by boat, stay FOREVER: How Labor PM Bill Shorten would gift permanent residency to 10,000 asylum seekers who arrived in Australia illegally - giving them the right to full welfare payments
- If elected, the Labor government looking to gift residency to asylum seekers
- Growing list of asylum seekers looking for residency has exceeded $2billion
- Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton believes Bill Shorten's objective is ignorant
A Labor government could gift permanent residency to almost 10,000 asylum seekers who arrived in Australia illegally.
Labor's national conference in Adelaide this weekend will consider a motion to end offshore processing of boat arrivals by scrapping 'indefinite detention' on Manus Island and Nauru.
Under the proposed policy, thousands of asylum seekers would be granted permanent protection in Australia should Labor win next year's federal election as widely expected.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten (pictured) is looking to gift up to 10,000 asylum seekers permanent Australian residency
If elected at the next federal election, the Labor government is looking to gift residency to up to 10,000 asylum seekers in Australia
The end result would be permanent residency for asylum seekers, with full work and welfare rights.
Melbourne-based left faction Labor MP Ged Kearney, a former ACTU leader is leading the charge to end offshore detention, putting her at odds with Labor leader Bill Shorten.
'Labor's goal must be to get everyone held in offshore detention to safety and build a framework that could mean nobody actually has to go to offshore-processing facilities,' Kearney wrote in the party's left faction Challenge.
Mr Shorten, who hails from the right faction, said on Monday the ALP was committed to 'turning boats back where it is safe to do so.'
'This government should have done more to resettle people elsewhere around the world than they have, and that's what we'll do.'
Mr Shorten predicated that the more radical policy proposals of the left of the party would be unsuccessful.
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The development comes as The Australian revealed the cost behind attempting to manage the growing number of applicants in recent years has exceeded more than $2billion.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton believes Shorten's objective for the asylum seekers smacks of ignorance.
'Labor's reckless border failures have cost our country dearly,' Dutton told The Australian.
'Cleaning up the dreadful mess of 50,000 illegal arrivals is costing us hundreds of millions of dollars a year, and will for years to come — money that could otherwise have been spent on Australians, but is sucked up dealing with these people.
'It's frightening that Labor has clearly learned nothing and is ready to do it again.
'The boats will restart under Labor.'
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton (pictured) is opposed to the plans from the Labor Government to gift asylum seekers residency in Australia
Current permanent protection visas permit successful applicants to stay in Australia indefinitely with full access to work and welfare as well as allowing a pathway to citizenship.
There have been over 64,000 applications for protection visas since 2015 from people who arrived legally on a plane.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's national conference, Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek is anticipating strong debate on refugees.
'Offshore processing and boat turn backs, yes I support current Labor policy,' she said.
'But I also believe we can get people off Manus and Nauru. I believe we can bring more people here and bring them safely.'
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