The Immigration Department has made a $6 million telemovie to deter asylum seekers from coming to Australia – eclipsing the budgets of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Castle and Wolf Creek combined.

The taxpayer-funded drama called The Journey made its debut on Afghanistan television on Friday.

Government tender documents reveal the Department of Immigration and Border protection paid the Sydney-based Put It Out There Pictures $4.34 million to produce the movie. It paid a company called Lapis Communications a further $1.63 million for to promote and advertise it, bringing the total to $5.97 million.

By contrast, Priscilla cost less than $2 million, Wolf Creek about $1 million and The Castle just $750,000. Even adjusted for inflation, the total budget of all three films works out at about $5.8 million in today's terms.