Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has dismissed claims that the government is asleep at the wheel of border security following the arrival of a group of people by boat in Western Australia’s remote Kimberley.
Police searched all weekend for a man believed to have separated from the party, but said Sunday afternoon he was on a trail near Truscott Air Base on Mitchell Plateau in the state’s far north.
It is believed he became separated from a “group of approximately fifteen Chinese” who arrived by boat at Mungalalu Truscott Airbase in the remote Kimberley region on Friday afternoon.
The boat’s suspected arrival would be the third illegal maritime landing on Australian soil in less than six months.
The opposition seized on the incident as evidence that illegal activities by asylum seekers are once again on the rise, with two similar arrivals since November.
Opposition Foreign Office spokesman Simon Birmingham said he was concerned that the boat had apparently unloaded its passengers and was able to leave without detection.
A group of about fifteen asylum seekers have arrived by boat in a remote (pictured) part of Western Australia, the third time since last November.
A charter plane reportedly flew from Mungalalu Truscott Air Force Base (pictured) to Perth on Friday, likely carrying some or all of the asylum seekers.
“It comes at a time when the evidence before the Senate committees … is that we have a cut in maritime surveillance, a cut in aerial surveillance, concerns about the future budget projections for Operation Sovereign Borders and a government that is suspending temporary protection visas.” , he told ABC’s Insiders.
“The government must recognize that there are increasing failures, these problems, its responsibility and take action to solve them.”
However, Mr Albanese said it was important to note that there had been no change in Operation Sovereign Borders.
“The Australian government’s response will once again send that message very clearly to the region,” he told reporters in Melbourne.
The airbase (pictured) is now a commercial airport owned by the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation
When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was questioned about border security concerns, he argued that no changes will be made to the country’s approach to border protection in response to the latest arrival
‘We have a very large coastline. What is clear, however, is that people who arrive unauthorized will not settle in Australia. The principles of the sovereign boundaries of Operations will apply as they do in this case.”
WA Police said the search for the missing man had been conducted in difficult terrain but he was found in relatively good condition.
The Australian Border Force said in a statement it does not comment on operational matters.
The latest arrival comes after a group of 39 people from Pakistan and Bangladesh were found in Beagle Bay, north of Broome, in February after also arriving by boat.
The group was flown to an offshore detention center on the Pacific island of Nauru.
Coalition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said the incident was the 13th time a boat had taken asylum seekers to Australia since the last federal election.
“It’s no surprise why,” he said.
‘The number of hours of aerial surveillance under government supervision has fallen by 20 percent, the number of maritime patrol days by 12 percent.
“The result of that is people coming through, coming ashore and our border protection regime is being undermined.”