The comments made by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton on the dangers of an increased refugee intake have been described as everything from factual to offensive.

But how accurate are they?

Let us have a look at what exactly Mr Dutton said:

"For many people, they won't be numerate or literate in their own language, let alone English."

Data collected from more than 2,300 recently arrived humanitarian migrants between late 2013 and 2014 found that 44 per cent of the female and 33 per cent of males "did not understand spoken English" prior to arrival.

The data, published by the Department of Social Services, also found that 23 per cent of female and 17 per cent of males were illiterate in their own language.

The figures follow a 2010 survey, also published by the Department of Social Services the following year, which found that more than 45 per cent of respondents said they could read English well or very well.

The 2010 figures - which account for people who have lived in Australia for at least 12 months and up to 5 years - reported that written English did see lower results, with 39 per cent saying they would write well or very well.

The 2014 data found that 20 per cent of female arrivals and 13 per cent of males had never attended school - in comparison, the 2010 data stated that more than 61 per cent of resettled refugees came to Australia with at least a high school education.

The 2010 data also found that almost 16 per cent arrived in Australia with a university degree, and 7.5 per cent with a degree from a trade college or TAFE equivalent.

After arriving, almost 30 per cent obtained further education.

Here's another comment from Mr Dutton:

"These people would be taking Australian jobs ... and for many of them that would be unemployed, they would languish in unemployment queues."

The 2010 results found that little more than one third of resettled refugees reported being employed, including the 1.6 per cent that had set up their own business and the 10.1 per cent who combine work and study.

Editor's Note: This article was corrected on May 18, 2016. The ABC misread figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and they have since been removed.