Dan Harrison and Bianca Hall
July 8, 2013 - 1:24PM
Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott... "The Australian government will not be blackmailed." Photo: Penny Stephens
Opposition leader Tony Abbott has declared that he would not allow Australia to be ''blackmailed'' by asylum seekers who threaten self-harm.
Mr Abbott's comments follow an incident in which a merchant vessel that rescued a group of asylum seekers diverted to Christmas Island rather than return to Indonesia after the group threatened to kill themselves. The boat was reportedly in international waters, between the Indonesian island of Java and Christmas Island.
''The Australian government should not be expected to take responsibility for foolish actions by non-citizens,'' Mr Abbott said.
The Coalition's immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said sending special forces troops to board the Tampa "sent a message" to the region. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Earlier on Monday, in his strongest language yet on the issue, Coalition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said Australia should send the SAS after asylum seekers threatening self-harm on the high seas.
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"You've got to be prepared to do this sort of stuff," Mr Morrison told Sky News. "That's the difference. Kevin Rudd just wants to talk."
Mr Morrison said that when former prime minister John Howard sent special forces troops to board the Norwegian tanker, the MV Tampa, in 2001, it "sent a message" to the region.
The Tampa picked up 438 asylum seekers from a sinking fishing vessel and tried to enter Australian territorial waters to deliver the passengers to safety. But Mr Howard ordered troops to board the boat, declaring: "We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come."
Asked whether a Coalition government would again consider taking the same action, Mr Morrison said: '''People who are going to try this on should be stopped. That's exactly what happened with the Tampa. John Howard took a strong stand on that.''
But when quizzed later about whether he would also take such action, Mr Abbott said he would not discuss operational details.
''What we will ensure is that we are not played for mugs by the people smugglers and their customers . . . we will not be taken for a ride as a nation and a people,'' he said.
''People should not threaten acts of self-harm, and the Australian government will not be blackmailed.''
Mr Abbott reaffirmed the Coalition's policy of turning back boats when it was safe to do so, a policy Indonesia has expressed concerns about.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd signed a joint communiqué on Friday that ''stressed the importance of avoiding unilateral actions which might jeopardise such a comprehensive regional approach and which might cause operational or other difficulties to any party''.
That communiqué was seen as a veiled rebuff of the Coalition's tow-back policies.
On Monday Mr Abbott stuck to the Coalition's policy: ''Yes, we will be ready to turn boats around where it's safe to do so. As a sovereign nation, we will do what is in Australia's national interest but obviously we will work in the closest possible co-operation with our friends and neighbours.''
Asked whether he was concerned the policy could encourage asylum seekers to harm themselves, Mr Abbott said: ''The most compassionate thing to do is to stop the boats. As long as the boats keep coming, the drowning will keep happening.''
Earlier, Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare confirmed that the captain of a merchant vessel had made the decision to return to Christmas Island after rescued asylum seekers had threatened self-harm.
He said police had interviewed the captain of the ship and spoke to the shipping company and did not wish to take the matter further.
''My view on this is very clear. These decisions are made by the captain of the ship, where there's a safety of life at sea issue, and they're made by people in uniform, they shouldn't be made by politicians,'' he said.
But Mr Morrison said the troops could offer "support" to merchant vessels when confronted with asylum seekers threatening self-harm when their boats were being towed back.
"What the Australian government should be doing is letting merchant vessels know that if they are in that situation, then an Australian naval or customs vessel would come to their aid and support them," Mr Morrison said.
Mr Clare maintained that turning back boats did not work, because it encouraged people to sabotage boats, put naval personnel in danger, and required the permission of Indonesia.
''It may have happened in the past, Indonesia is not prepared to accept it now,'' he said.
Immigration minister Tony Burke said those on board the merchant vessel could be penalised for their actions, despite acknowledging none had been formally interviewed and it was still unclear whether they were genuine refugees.
''Be in no doubt, if people have been involved in behaviour that breaches the law of the sea, that's not going to count in their favour in any way, shape or form and it's not something that they'll be benefiting from," Mr Burke said.
And he declined to condemn Mr Morrison's claims that the SAS should be sent after flailing asylum boats. Asked about the comments, Mr Burke said: "He'd have a bit more integrity to argue these sorts of things if they hadn't blocked Malaysia.
"At the core of this is whether or not Australia has the right to send people, if they don't have a valid claim – or to be able to send people – to countries other than Australia, so that we choose rather than the people smugglers choosing [where asylum seekers are sent].
"That was put on the table before the Parliament and Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott teamed up with the Greens to block it for political reasons. I don't think they've got much integrity at all to be able to claim that they care at all about Australia's sovereignty when they blocked Malaysia the way they did."with AAP
