Scott Morrison as immigration minister proposed a multibillion-dollar program to build new mass detention facilities in Australia for asylum seekers who were living in the community on bridging visas, according to multiple informed sources.

Mr Morrison asked the Abbott government's expenditure review committee in early 2014 for $9 billion to $10 billion over the four-year budget forward estimates to finance the plan, the sources said.

Then-Immigration Minister Scott Morrison in January 2014. Credit:Andrew Meares

There were about 30,000 people in that situation in Australia at the time, and possibly subject to detention under the proposal. Not all would necessarily be detained at once, according to people familiar with the proposal.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister told the Herald and The Age that Mr Morrison said he had no recollection of such a proposal.