Asylum seeker boat eludes surveillance
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard has played down the arrival of a boat carrying 60 suspected asylum seekers, which reached Christmas Island undetected.
The vessel, with three crew onboard, arrived in the vicinity of Flying Fish Cove at about 1.30pm (AEDT) on Thursday.
Ms Gillard said occasionally boats do elude border security patrols.
* Gillard lies and denies…. but what we need is debate, now:
Not just good politics, but a critical debate:
SENIOR Opposition frontbencher Kevin Andrews has called for a debate on slashing Australia’s immigration from 180,000 people a year to a ‘’starting point’’ of just 35,000.
Andrew Bolt has more>>Bring on the immigration debate
Important link:
AUSTRALIA’S REFUGEE PROGRAM
“We have more border security patrols, more border security presence in our waters to the north than was there under the previous government,” she told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.
“Under the previous government from time to time there were boats that made it through, that will happen but we have stepped up our border security presence.”
She rejected suggestions the arrival of the 54th asylum seeker boat in Australian waters this year was evidence the government’s policies were not working.
“If the measure is to be the number of boats that arrived, there was no evidence that the policies of the Howard government were working,” Ms Gillard said.
“After they introduced, for example, temporary protection visas, the number of arrivals went up.”
Ms Gillard pointed to the civil war in Sri Lanka and conflict in Afghanistan as factors that were contributing to the increase in asylum seekers in our region.
The 60 suspected asylum seekers will undergo security, identity and health checks on Christmas Island.
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Muslims heading for CHRISTmas Island?!