August 2, 2016
By Nicholas Jones
Doubling the refugee quota (click here) would have cost $41.2 million more a year, according to Government estimates.
Cabinet ultimately decided to increase the annual quota from 750 to 1000 - a move that will cost $20.6 million a year in the long-run.
The costings have been outlined in documents relating to the refugee quota system released under the Official Information Act today.
Other detail includes advice from immigration officials that a suspension of the refugee quota programme would be considered in the event of a mass arrival of asylum seekers.
There has been strong lobbying from NGOs for the refugee quota to be at least doubled, a position that had broad support among other parties in Parliament.
Three options were presented to Cabinet as part of the Government's regular review of the quota - leaving the annual quota at 750, increasing it to 1000, or doubling it to 1500....
