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Authorities have now agreed a draft law which means rejected refugees will no longer be entitled to provisions paid for by the country's taxpayers.

Austria's centrist coalition government provisionally agreed the bill, which is part of a wider reform of laws dealing with foreigners in Austria.

Other harsh changes will be fines or prison sentences for migrants who lie about their identity.

The new package of policies is aimed at countering the rise of the far-right Freedom Party, whose candidate came close to winning the presidential election in December.

Those denied asylum will have to face the consequences, Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said.