Twelve people who arrived in an undetected boat off Western Australia’s coast this week have now been flown to Nauru for offshore processing as asylum seekers, according to reports from the Sydney Morning Herald.
The group was taken into custody by Border Force officials on Thursday after a local Indigenous community in a remote stretch of the Kimberley spotted the vessel approaching the coast.
Members of the Wunambal Gaambera people working at Truscott airstrip assisted the group upon their arrival, who were reportedly “not in good shape.”
The group is understood to have come from Indonesia, however, authorities have neither confirmed their nationalities nor their status as refugees.
SMH reported the asylum seekers were temporarily housed at the Truscott-Mungalalu Airbase before being transported to the Pacific island nation by Border Force officials.
Since news of the incident broke, questions have been raised as to how the boat made its way past maritime security personnel, with opposition members suggesting it reflected on a relaxed approach to border security from the federal government.
According to reports, the boat itself was not seen at the time of the passengers being discovered, implying they were likely dropped onshore.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil have both failed to comment on the matter, despite loud calls from their counterparts Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and shadow home affairs minister James Paterson for an explanation on the law enforcement lapse.
Mr Dutton, on Friday, associated the boat arrival to the practice of people smuggling and blamed it on the PM’s “soft” leadership.
“What we know from this Prime Minister is that he stopped the economy and he started the boats,” he said at a press conference.
“The people smugglers see Anthony Albanese as a soft touch, because he is a soft touch. He can’t make tough decisions in our country’s best interest and he’s demonstrating that.”
Meanwhile, Senator Paterson claimed the occurrence was on account of an eased approach to immigration and had been repetitive under several Labor governments.
“When Labor gets in, this movie is the same every time. They soften the successful border protection policies of the Coalition, they water them down, the boats start again, and human tragedy follows,” he said on Thursday.
The Home Affairs Minister on the other hand, has refused to clarify details about the boat arrival, instead accusing Mr Dutton of being a “reckless politician” with a history of distorting issues to his benefit.
“Whether it’s the conflict in the Middle East, tensions at home, Operation Sovereign Borders or even the highly sensitive security operations involved in individuals returning from conflict, there’s nothing Peter Dutton won’t use for his own political ends,” Ms O’Neil said on Friday.
“Peter Dutton is a reckless politician who will do and say anything to score political points – even if it puts the national security of Australians at risk.”
The minister also provided the sole assurance, that “national security is the first priority of our government” and said it was “careful and deliberate” in discussing and handling operational matters.
“No political objective should ever come before the security of our country and the integrity of the operations and agencies that protect us every day.”
SkyNews.com.au contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment.
(Sky News)
