Asylum seeker handouts scrapped: Australian taxpayers to save $25 million a Year

[nero_bolt]

Long over due and the only people that will be crying is the lawyers that were bleeding the system  and the bleeding heart lefties..

Why should our tax  money pay for illegals with no papers to rort the system 

Well done Scott Morrision

TAXPAYERS will save $25 million a year after the Abbott government today scraps free immigration assistance to ­asylum seekers.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison last night said Australia’s protection obligations did not extend to providing free immigration help to those who arrived in Australia ­illegally.

He said, as promised before the election, that from today, people who arrived illegally by boat or air would no longer be helped through the Immigration Advice and Application Assistance Scheme.

But he said the withdrawal of the taxpayer help would not prevent people receiving legal assistance, saying those who wished to provide immigration advice and application assistance pro bono were free to do so.

The government continues to roll out its Operation ­Sovereign Borders suite of policies after notching at the weekend 100 days without a successful people smuggling venture making it to Australia. The government expects the withdrawal of the free assistance will save the budget $100 million over four years

If people choose to violate how Australia chooses to run our refugee and humanitarian program, they should not presume upon the support and assistance that is provided to those who seek to come the right way, and they should certainly not receive additional assistance, as they did under the previous government,’’ Mr Morrison said.

‘‘Services that have commenced will be ­completed, but the IAAAS will not continue for any additional part of the process that would incur an additional fee

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/asylum-seeker-handouts-scrapped-australian-taxpayers-to-save-25...

[i-need-a-martini]

Wow. I really don't even know what to say to that.

The implications of not offering something as basic as advice must put Australia in company with some interesting countries that are scraping the bottom of the human rights barrel. 

[*crikey*mate*]

They can still access legal information/advice.

Majority of Australians can't even get completely free legal advice/assistance

Plus they're not preventing people who wish to do pro bono work

[i-need-a-martini]

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@diamond-halo wrote:

They can still access legal information/advice.

Majority of Australians can't even get completely free legal advice/assistance

Plus they're not preventing people who wish to do pro bono work

---

How do they access legal information/advice when the department chartered with that responsibility has just been scrapped?

And you are correct - the majority of Australians can't get legal advice/assistance because the majority of Australians a) don't need to to and b) can pay for it. Those Australians that a) do need it and b) can't afford it DO get free legal advice/assistance from a myriad of government departmental sources. 

And to your last point, the majority of legal work was/is already done through refugee advocacy agencies pro bono. 

[boris1gary]

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@diamond-halo wrote:

They can still access legal information/advice.

Majority of Australians can't even get completely free legal advice/assistance

Plus they're not preventing people who wish to do pro bono work

---

But international standards written by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) say the right to legal advice during the claims process is an “essential safeguard”.

“Asylum seekers are often unable to articulate the elements relevant to an asylum claim without the assistance of a qualified counsellor because they are not familiar with the precise grounds for the recognition of refugee status and the legal system of a foreign country,” the UNHCR says

.

David Manne, chief executive of the Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre, said the cuts could endanger the lives of asylum seekers fleeing persecution.

“This is a complex process and people need legal advice and support to understand what’s required, and present their case in a way which can be properly assessed by the government. Without this advice, people will seriously struggle to understand the system or properly present their case,” he said.

“The bottom line is – it’s about the government getting the right decision on what are often life or death matters so that we don’t reject people whose safety is at risk.”

[boris1gary]

the link from my post

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/31/legal-aid-denied-asylum-seekers-arrive-boat

Morrison said asylum seekers would be free to access legal advice offered on a pro bono basis and would be assisted by the department of immigration.

But Rachel Ball, director of advocacy and campaigns at the Human Rights Law Centre in Melbourne, told Guardian Australia the department had already refused an offer to provide asylum seekers with a list of free legal services.

According to correspondence with the department seen by Guardian Australia, the department said it would be inappropriate to provide a list in case it was seen to be “favouring or endorsing particular persons or organisations”. Ball said this response was “nonsense”.

“There is a limited number of services that can provide pro bono assistance and they can’t possibly meet the demand. This is not a case where providers are competing with each other for lucrative business; they’re providing the services for free,” she said.

[silverfaun]

The  lawyers are still  free  to give legal advice  and help to all illegal immigrants.

There's nothing stopping any advocates or churches, NGO’s or all the other industries that burgeoned under Labors failed border protection policy from offering their services.

The only difference is we, the working classes, will not have to pay for it, ergo  the illegal immigration industry will have to do it pro bono. I wonder how  that will go down with the rent seekers?

[*crikey*mate*]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

---

@diamond-halo wrote:

They can still access legal information/advice.

Majority of Australians can't even get completely free legal advice/assistance

Plus they're not preventing people who wish to do pro bono work

---

How do they access legal information/advice when the department chartered with that responsibility has just been scrapped?

There is a difference between seeking asylum and immigration

And you are correct - the majority of Australians can't get legal advice/assistance because the majority of Australians a) don't need to to and b) can pay for it. Those Australians that a) do need it and b) can't afford it DO get free legal advice/assistance from a myriad of government departmental sources. 

 NOPE - the legalaide system is ion crisis and severely limited these days

And to your last point, the majority of legal work was/is already done through refugee advocacy agencies pro bono. 

well then? what's the problem? If "most" of it is already done pro bono?

---

[boris1gary]

silverfaun, don't worry about the rent seekers, I don't think the likes of gina rineart or murdoch have anything to worry about.

[boris1gary]

Really what would the Human Right's Law Centre in Melbourne and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees know about the law and international standards anyway, pffft probably a vast left wing conspiracy.

[*crikey*mate*]

sure it is