‘Country shopping’: James Ashby says asylum seekers are ‘economic opportunists’

One Nation Chief of Staff James Ashby says the large number of refugees trying to claim asylum in Australia are “country shopping” and hunting for a “better economic life.” It comes amid revelations there has been a surge of asylum seeker applications under the Labor government. There have reportedly been 2,000 refugee visa applications each month – double that of before the election. “What’s surprising though is they are coming from countries where Aussies go on holiday like Vietnam – the number one country where people are trying to claim asylum from,” Mr Ashby said in response to the staggering figures. “A lot of these people are just country shopping. “They are economic opportunists where they are actually just looking for a better economic life.” A recent review found long processing times are seeing many look for loopholes to get into the country – coming to Australia on dodgy visas before applying for asylum.