Opposition's Nauru 'costings' in tatters
Chris Bowen
posted Tuesday, 7 February 2012
The Opposition’s dodgy figures for a processing centre on Nauru continue to unravel today, after it was revealed their ‘secret’ costings were actually provided by a catering company.
The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen MP, said a story in the Sydney Morning Herald today showed that Scott Morrison’s unfunded costings had actually come from catering subcontractor Eurest Support Services.
“Mr Morrison’s costings are in tatters. Yet again the Opposition has tried to cook the books and been found out,” Mr Bowen said.
“Eurest was a catering subcontractor on Nauru for the International Organization for Migration and they openly admit they have no expertise in immigration matters.”
As spokesman from Eurest was quoted in the media today as saying, “We are not experts in that. We are experts in good, comfortable accommodation, not asylum seeker processing”.
This conflicts with Mr Morrison’s claims that the costings were provided by a “company that was directly involved in running and establishing” the centre on Nauru.
Last week the Government publicly released its own detailed costings from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) for a processing centre on Nauru.
“You don’t go to a catering company for costings just because you don’t like what the department has served up,” Mr Bowen said.
“This is a shameful stunt from Mr Morrison and the Opposition, and further proof that they have no economic credibility and cannot be trusted when it comes to their figures.”
The Opposition claim they could build a centre on Nauru for $80 million when the Curtin detention centre cost $121 million and did not incur the same air and sea freight costs.
“Mr Morrison still needs to explain how the Coalition’s operational costs for 1350 people on Nauru would be less than half of those prepared by the Immigration Department for a 750-person facility,” Mr Bowen said.
“What aspect of current operational requirements has the Coalition decided it won’t provide? Is it the health services, refugee status determinations or perhaps they’ve ditched security? Mr Abbott himself said that Nauru should be run according to Australian standards (7.30, 20/9/11). He still hasn’t clarified whether his position has changed on that.”
By refusing to come clean on these costings and where they came from, the Coalition continues to show contempt for the Australian public.
Tags: Immigration, Nauru