Senator Eric Abetz

“It’s been revealed that Labor spent more than $185,000 in October to fly 35 asylum seekers to Tasmania on a chartered jet,” Senator Abetz said today.

“In response to a question I asked the Immigration Minister Labor has confirmed that the Government spent $185,900 on a private jet to transfer 35 asylum seekers from Curtin Immigration Centre in Western Australia to Tasmania.”

“The charter cost taxpayers more than $5300 per passenger which is more than the cost of a flight from Hobart to New York.”

“You could charter a yacht and spend a month sailing around the Greek islands for less,” Senator Abetz said.

“By comparison you could have flown the entire group from Perth on Jetstar for less than $15,000 which would have saved the taxpayer $170,000.”

“This is typical of Labor’s wasteful spending,” Senator Abetz said.

“The Pontville Detention Centre has been mismanaged from the start.”

“There was no proper community consultation prior to the announcement that the centre was to be built.”

“There have been construction delays, confusion over the start up date and shut down timetable and Labor’s failure to properly instigate a timely memorandum of understanding between the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and Tasmania police.”

“Labor needs to explain why it has spent more than $185,000 dollars on a private jet charter to transfer detainees from Curtin to Pontville - more than ten times what it should have cost,” Senator Abetz said.