Christmas Island detention centre to close, just months after reopening

The Coalition government plans to close the Christmas Island detention centre by July, less than four months after reopening it over fears of an influx of asylum seekers.

The government argued the detention centre was required to deal with sick asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru and Manus Island who were approved for medical transfer under legislation passed earlier this year with Labor and the crossbench’s support. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison poses for photographs on the Christmas Island jetty last month.But the budget noted that the government intends to repeal the medevac legislation if it wins the May election and then close the centre by July.Finance Minister Mathias Cormann justified the prime minister’s previous $1 billion as based on advice from intelligence agencies at the time.

What a waste of $185mill.

ScheMo is now onto his next gimmick....BackInBlack

Great ! The savings can now be repurposed into another stunt.

$185m in dog whistles.

Did any news org go with ‘Christmas is cancelled’ as the headline? auspol

kaz_neena Flip flop🤔😁😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣🤡🤠🤡🤠

Kon__K Look, ScottMorrisonMP got a photo shoot out of it. That’s what he lives for. I think he thinks being PM is a modelling job. He will fly anywhere and spend any amount of taxpayer money to get in front of a camera. It’s gross.

Smokescreen? What is the LNP plotting?

shalailah Scomo your handling of Manus alone will be possibility the undoing of the government 😢

Jackthelad1947 I suspect New versions “Of old practices“

But but but, didn't ScottMorrisonMP warn us after the Medevac bill that there'd be a flood of boat people invading our shores. He didn't LIE did he. Colour me shocked 😱

polibubble auspol unbelievable

Un-f***ing-believable. ElectionNOW

lol

So over $100million dollars of tax payers money wasted on a photo op and to try and vilify the opposition!! auspol LNPfail

Until Labor/Greens get elected water down laws and then ahoy captain the boats will arrive

Was ScoMo banking on an influx of boats just prior to the election? Says a lot about him and the way he thinks, and the willingness to play political football with the lives of Christmas Islanders and refugees.

More LIBERAL WASTE

Dog whistling ain’t so popular these days... shallow, profligate LNP waste then and now AusVotes2019 FakeSurplus Auspol

Kon__K How's that influx of boats going morrison

SBS Oh well. Scummo got a free trip and a photo opportunity on his visit to Christmas Island so it wasn't a complete waste of time and money.

ScoMo knows we’re on to him. Whatever plans he had to let a few boats through would have been called out.

WTAF

Common sense at last.

Fkn stunt🤬

And a cool $185m vanishes as a result

SarWhyte What a complete cynical stunt.

Morrison went on the attack! “We will decide who opens Christmas Island, and the circumstances in which it will be closed” Auspol

What a shame to waste high level medical expertise and infrastructure so soon after its upgrade...

Despicable , the media needs to roast the government on this, it was ardently argued and justified, filmed , spent on ... now what the hell? His word is worthless ... and the governments ... don’t bother talking anymore

Kon__K All about staying PM

Month!! Not months!

They’re so fiscally careful with those taxpayer dollars. 🙄 FakeSurplus

Good economic managers. 😡🤬

Why did they spend $185?

We know they come by plane now. Plan B

Goddamn those asylum seekers are unpredictable

Kon__K $185 million for a stunt? Or could it be for something more sinister - say money laundering? Auspol FakeSurplus

Kon__K The fear mongering didn’t work is why

KatieMouse71 I hope you are going to talk about this instead of Megan’s baby. TheTodayShow

KatieMouse71 Was just thinking about it earlier today. PM made such a big deal of it. How much taxpayer money wasted on this dog whistle by this stupid government?

JanPickup the people on Christmas island must be feeling angry and used right now as all that the pm promised was hot air and political spin .

deemadigan over to you

They will have balance of power after election and everything will be wonderful. Or they loose and it's History. But they have balance of power now ? Budget relies on this happening and that the Medivac bill will be overturned by July.

A tiny spend too ensure the people smugglers got the message .... don't even think of trying.

SBS The two main parties need leaders with a strong centre of balance, that listen to the people of this country & help create sustainable solutions.

SBS Lib just showing their desperation & lack of honest leadership. It's unfortunate, that this country has very few strong leaders with vision & integrity.

wagthedog

Well Christchurch really screwed up the Islamophobia fear campaign for you Scum-mo. Never mind, pretend the 500 billion in debt doesn't exist, hold up all the money you ripped out of welfare and NDIS and call it a surplus. Then announce a few ALP policies as if it was your own.

I wonder what ScottMorrisonMP is now going to tell the flood affected people in Queensland now. Here we will give you the money we saved from Christmas Island, I think not. auspol

Bloody wasteful wankers !

It was a campaign piece funded by taxpayers. We need a Federal ICAC

But wait?!!! Fauxmo’s expecting a TSUNAMI of asylum seekers rounded up from the invasion of boats Labor’s medevac bill is causing😱😱😱😱😱

Why is this no surprise.

Proves why ScottMorrisonMP does not deserve to be re-elected to his seat, let alone PM. He’s a fraud, a liar, a snake oil salesman and will be sitting on the opposition benches, from where he will duly resign from parliament.

For a photo op and to discredit some people and the media want a liberal government !! Very Morrison dreadful it is he does..no problem for big corporations they don't pay tax but workers do and this objectionable man throws money away..auspol

The bullshit Morrison spruiks, the millions he wastes, the human costs he ignores, the cruelty he perpetrates, the damage & harm he causes everyday, all this in order to retain power. For what? Power for power's sake. We stoop so low, too low, with these moronic fascists.

he scared them off. they know they wont get in that way. they do not have to they are being flown in and some reports say they are being put in hotels. They should all be stopped. cut out welfare and they will not come.

Because the re-elected LNP Govt will repeal the medivac legislation. Closure pending Senate approval of this repeal.

AFernan17195830 So they snuck out this news on budget day. Told us they needed to open Xmas Island at enormous cost because of the Medevac Bill. Turned out to be complete horseshit. What a surprise. How much money was wasted?

More money wasted by LNP, and there are actually fools who believe that Frydenberg delivered a good budget. I have a bridge to sell you... Budget2019

Hey media how much did you all pay to fly to CI abc730 BreakfastNews RNBreakfast . What a disgraceful stunt by PM & he expects Aus to trust him billshortenmp

Surprise surprise

KellieTranter This is unbelievable

A disgusting stunt, flying to Christmas Island with media in tow. Never seen any government do anything so foolish. Words fail me. Sick of this blatant electioneering at our expense. They have been a waste of space all year. Makes me so angry.

SBS All that money wasted 🤷‍♂️🤷🏽‍♀️🤦‍♂️🤦🏽‍♀️

Scare campaign didn't work. You guys seriously think you'll win next election?

What a HUGE waste of money, time and effort.

Morrison playing Prison Economy Ping Pong charades with refugee and Christmas islanders

What an absolute waste of money .... Slomo little grandstanding stunt .... just a nasty little person

Millions wasted on a political stunt.

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