Albanese govt cut Border Force ‘$600 million’ over ‘next four years’: James Paterson

Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson has blasted the Albanese government for their “cut of $600 million” to Border Force over the next four years, which are figures that come from “their own budget papers”. Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram has dismissed fears of a cut to the agency’s funding after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton launched an attack on the Albanese government for cutting its funding and leaving Australia vulnerable to asylum seekers. “They come from the Budget papers – and the government’s argument is not with the Opposition, it is with their own Budget papers,” Mr Paterson told Sky News Australia. “The actual spend for the 2022/23 financial year was $1.225 billion; planned spend for the 2023/24 financial year … was $1.197 billion, so it’s a cut of about $28 million. “Cumulatively, if you add that up over the next four years, that’s a cut of $600 million.”