Many of the refugees brought to Australia under medevac legislation and detained in hotels in Melbourne, have been released.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton confirmed those being released have been assessed as safe, while the legal battle is ongoing.

“It’s cheaper for people to be in the community than it is to be at hotel, or for us to be paying for them to be in detention.

“As predicted … it would be very hard to return those people, and that’s certainly the case now.”

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