AUSTRALIA will be dealing with Labor's asylum-seeker legacy for at least another decade following revelations only 638 of the 30,000 boat people the Coalition government inherited have so far been sent home. 
Adding to the growing -calamity is a looming legal backlog, with a further 1600 refusal cases already before the Refugee Review Tribunal or under judicial or ministerial referral.
With the likelihood that only a few of the 30,000 will ever be settled permanently in Australia, the Turnbull government is bracing for a future flood of legal appeals.
Official data from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, obtained by The Daily Telegraph, has confirmed that, since the Abbott government was elected, there had been 1572 refugee claims refused so far out of the legacy cases that Labor left when it lost office in 2013.
To date only 638 have been able to be sent back to their country of origin or a third country. Another 1073 have returned voluntarily, having given up hope of being allowed to settle here.
The department claims it is on track to complete the primary assessments of the remainder of the 30,000 by the end of 2018.
But Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the lengthy appeals process and the litigious nature of the refugees' lawyers meant final determinations would take many more years to complete.
"Like the economic disaster that Labor left us, which will take a decade or more to clean up, the same is true for border protection," he said.
"If Labor were to be re-elected and the boats started arriving again, this disaster would only be compounded." The delay in dealing with the staggering number of cases is being blamed on Labor and the Greens in the Senate blocking the government's Temporary Protection Visa legislation, until crossbenchers agreed to pass it at the end of 2014.
However, opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles tried to sheet the blame home to the government, despite Labor being responsible for the legacy.
"Peter Dutton has no one but himself to blame for the government's deliberate stall in processing refugee claims," Mr Marles said.
About 26,000 are living in the community in Australia on bridging visas. There are very few of them left in detention, because the Coalition government has closed down 13 of the 17 detention centres established under Labor.
EDITORIAL PAGE 22 WARREN'S VIEW PAGE 23
A BRIDGING VISA TOO FAR 30,000 The number of asylum-seeker legacy cases who arrived in Australia under Labor 28,290 The number of illegals still living in Australia, most of them on bridging visas 638 have been sent home, and 1073 have returned voluntarily 2580 (approx) have been refused entry but still live in the community while their lengthy reviews are conducted26,000 (approx) are living at large in the community, most of them on bridging visas, because their cases have not been determined