Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has publicly declared his support for the Australian Border Force as new evidence emerges about the agency's secret program involving the transportation of fishing boats intended for intercepted people smugglers.
Secret Boat Transfer Program Revealed
An investigation by The West Australian earlier this year first uncovered details of the covert operation, which involves transferring asylum seekers from unseaworthy vessels to safer crayfishing boats before they are turned back to Indonesia.
This week, Nine News broadcast drone footage showing the ABF's 110-meter Ocean Shield vessel carrying four cray boats as it sailed out of Broome on Wednesday. The vessel had originally departed from Kwinana on October 29.
Prime Minister's Firm Support
During an appearance on the ABC, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was questioned about the latest reports concerning the secret people smuggling scheme but declined to provide specific details, instead offering his full backing to the border agency.
"What I can explain very clearly is that the Australian Border Force keep our borders secure. They undertake a range of activities which have done that, that have ensured that people who are unauthorised arrivals aren't able to stay in Australia," Mr Albanese stated.
The Prime Minister further emphasized his position, adding: "I support the Australian Border Force undertaking what actions they believe are necessary to secure our borders. And the Opposition, I thought, supported that. We will continue to be consistent about that."
Industry Insight and Political Reaction
In September, The West Australian revealed how the ABF had been secretly purchasing crayfishing boats in Geraldton and providing them to people smugglers intercepted off the North West coast.
The investigation detailed how the mid-ocean handover is designed to limit the risk of would-be refugees drowning during their return journey, given that the boats they initially travel on are often dangerously overloaded and in poor condition.
At the time, a cray fishing industry insider, who requested anonymity, disclosed awareness that the ABF had requested 10 boats from a single broker, with at least three sourced from Geraldton.
Earlier this month, The West Australian reported that while border patrols across Australia's northern reaches had increased over the past year, they had not returned to the levels seen under the previous Coalition government.
During a September visit to Perth, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley condemned the surge in smuggling ventures heading for West Australian shores as unacceptable and called for the Labor government to get "border control under control."
