Associated Press in Canberra Saturday, 31 August, 2013 A member of the public poses for a picture taken by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (left) next to opposition leader Tony Abbott. Photo: Reuters The Australian opposition pledged on Saturday to slash the amount of money the government spends on legal assistance for asylum seekers if it wins national elections next week. The soaring costs for taxpayers of an increasing number of asylum seekers reaching Australian shores by boat is a hot-button issue ahead of the elections on September 7. Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison announced on Saturday that he expects savings of $A100 million (or US$89 million) over four years by scrapping a government policy of providing free lawyers and migration agents to advise refugee seekers on lodging asylum claims and appealing rejections of the claims. “There is no provision under the [United Nations] Refugee Convention whi...