In an interview with ABC News, Labor home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally called for the government to release refugees and asylum seekers detained in a hotel in Melbourne into the community while their applications for residency are assessed.
The Senator's statements came after comments made last year by Minister for Defence and Leader of the House Peter Dutton, who acknowledged that it would cost taxpayers less if those in detention hotels were allowed to out.
The cancellation of tennis player Novak Djokovic’s visa amplified the discussion of Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.