Barbara Miller reported this story on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 08:03:00

TONY EASTLEY: The Federal Opposition is questioning the Government's decision to pay for the relatives of those killed in the Christmas Island boat tragedy to be flown to Sydney for the funerals.



The Opposition's immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says the funeral services could have been held on Christmas Island.



Mr Morrison says holding them in Sydney and paying for other detainees to attend is poor judgement.



Barbara Miller reports.



BARBARA MILLER: The Opposition's immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison, say he's very sensitive to what he calls the terrible tragedy on Christmas Island.



But he says enough is enough.



SCOTT MORRISON: This is a government whose failed border protection policies has increased the cost of asylum seeker management by more than sevenfold in just the last three years.



They need to understand the value of taxpayers' dollars in this area.



BARBARA MILLER: Scott Morrison says it's not reasonable for the Government to cover the costs of holding the funerals in Sydney:



SCOTT MORRISON: The Government had the option of having these services on Christmas Island. If relatives of those who were involved wanted to go to Christmas Island, like any other Australian who wanted to attend a funeral service in another part of the country, they would have made their own arrangements to be there.



BARBARA MILLER: Do you think you run the risk of being seen as heartless on the day of these funerals to be saying - to be bickering over this money?



SCOTT MORRISON: Well you're asking the questions and I'm answering them. And when it comes to the question of do I think this is a reasonable cost then my honest answer is, "No I don't think it is reasonable".



BARBARA MILLER: It's not reasonable though is it to expect family members to travel to Christmas Island. It's very far away, there aren't many flights, it's very expensive and it's the place where these people died in terrible circumstances. Would they really wish, if they could afford it, to bury those people there?



SCOTT MORRISON: Well I don't mean - are you suggesting that when Australians have to travel around the country to go to the funerals of their loved ones that somehow they should also be getting this treatment? Are you suggesting, you know, that other Australians don't find financial cost pressures when it comes to getting to these types of events that they dearly want to go to?



BARBARA MILLER: Speaking on ABC Local Radio in Sydney this morning the Immigration Minister Chris Bowen defended the Government's decision to cover the costs of holding the funerals in Sydney:



CHRIS BOWEN: The situation is the Australian Federal Police has responsibility for the bodies, and the Department of Immigration has responsibility for the survivors obviously as people who are detainees in our system.



Now the Federal Police consulted with the families I think appropriately about where they would like the victims buried whether that be in their homeland or in Australia and which part of Australia.



I think it's appropriate then that the Department of Immigration took the decision that close and direct family members - not everybody who expressed an interest in coming to the funeral by the way, because there were more people who wanted to come to the funerals - but a decision that direct and close family members be able to attend those funerals, which I think, in these tragic circumstances, is appropriate.



BARBARA MILLER: Chris Bowen says families and children among the Christmas Island detainees are being considered for release into the community in line with government policy.



He says in the meantime they will be returned to Christmas Island after the funerals.



The Immigration Minister says reports that the detainees will be taken on a sightseeing tour of Sydney are simply not true.



TONY EASTLEY: Barbara Miller.