(dpa) - Australia is paying refugees thousands of dollars to stop applying for asylum and return to their home nations, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said Sunday, according to dpa. Morrison said it had been standard practice for the past 10 years to offer asylum seekers incentives to return home. He did not reveal the amounts being offered, but it has been reported the Abbott government has more than tripled amounts previously offered. "The packages are tailored individually to each and every person who decides to voluntarily return home," Morrison said. The packages can include housing or training once they reach their home country. Morrison said the number of people accepting the offer had more than tripled once it became clear they would not get permanent residency in Australia. Since the Abbott government was elected in September, 283 asylum seekers have voluntarily returned home, the government said. Morrison would not reveal the maximum payments.
