Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been blamed for allowing refugee boats to return after a mysterious vessel with 12 foreigners on board was found in remote crocodile-infested waters off the coast of north-Western Australia.
It is the first boat to reach the Australian mainland under Operation Sovereign Borders’ tough return policy since dozens of hardened criminals in permanent government detention were released back into the community.
Now Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has branded the breakthrough as a telling signal of the government’s incompetence after it was distracted by the Voice referendum.
“It’s just a very bad sign that they are slipping and that they have lost the competence to run the show properly,” Joyce said in a series of media interviews on Friday.
‘It just turns into a cluster of mindless, pointless lack of attention to detail, while they are fascinated by things like the Voice referendum.
“They were warned about it six months ago and they stood still… there were bigger things to do, like the referendum – and what a debacle it has become.”
He added: ‘The Labor Party needs to start getting the fundamentals of government right.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been blamed for allowing refugee boats to return
A mysterious ship with 12 foreigners on board was found in remote crocodile-infested waters off the coast of northern Western Australia on Wednesday (pictured, suspected asylum seekers arrive on Christmas Island in 2012)
“They need to sharpen up or the Australian people are going to be making some very serious decisions about their competency and their ability to govern the country.”
The mysterious boat sailed from Indonesia to a remote spot on the Anjo Peninsula, 36km from the Kalumburu Aboriginal community, 500km south of Indonesia, before being found by locals.
The nationality of the twelve on board – probably mostly or all men – is not yet known, nor is it known whether they are seeking asylum or fishermen whose boat has drifted ashore.
The all-male group then walked through rugged bushland in 35 degree Celsius heat, arriving at the remote Truscott North Kimberley Airport on Wednesday.
They were given food and water by airport staff, who described them as ‘poor’.
The arrival has raised fears that it could encourage human smugglers to restart their activities, especially after the Supreme Court’s decision to release detainees.
On November 8, 93 asylum seekers were released after the Supreme Court ruled that their indefinite detention was unlawful.
Three of those released are murderers, including one who killed a pregnant woman in Malaysia and another who was previously jailed for raping a 10-year-old boy in Sydney.
It is believed the boat landed on the Anjo Peninsula on the northern tip of Washington (pictured) before walking to the remote Truscott North Kimberley Airport to receive aid.
Home Secretary Clare O’Neil has since introduced a series of strict new visa conditions for the released prisoners, including ankle tracking devices and curfews.
But Mr Joyce said: ‘It won’t discourage them, will it?
“They’ll say, ‘Look, he’s walking down the street and he’s a convicted rapist… I think I can give this a shot.’
Mr Joyce also said he was concerned about the safety of those on board the boat.
“If they don’t come out of the bush, they might be eaten by crocodiles,” he said.
“I’m being overly flippant there and I shouldn’t do that because it’s hopeless [the government] should actually pull up their socks.
“But that’s a big part of this: When people start making their own arrangements, they’re not only breaking our laws, they’re putting their own lives at risk.
“We had 50,000 people come under Labor control last time and we don’t want to go back there.
“We have already had to deal with this ridiculous release of pedophiles and rapists from detention who are currently roaming the streets.
‘Now we have received confirmation that people are being dropped off in Australia again.
“It shows that people have the capacity, and I hope no one wants this illegal trade and people to start again.
“I hope they look at how it happened and stop it, but we need to have a government that leads the way. It’s sloppy management.’
National MP Barnaby Joyce (pictured with wife Vikki Campion) has branded the breakthrough as a telling sign of the government’s incompetence after being distracted by the Voice referendum
One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson has now promised to put legislation before Parliament to put recently released prisoners back behind bars
One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson has now promised to put legislation before Parliament to put recently released prisoners back behind bars.
“Labor has sent a clear message to criminal people smuggling syndicates that Australia’s borders are wide open,” she told Ny Breaking Australia.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that people smugglers are once again targeting Australia following the release of more than 80 stateless detainees into the community – including murderers and pedophiles – following the Supreme Court’s ruling against indefinite detention.
“Labor has always been soft on people smugglers and illegal immigration, and since when has national security and the safety of Australians been outsourced to the Supreme Court?”
She added: “I will work on legislation that addresses the issue of indefinite detention by imposing a detention term of at least 25 years.
“This allows dangerous individuals to be detained to protect the safety of the Australian community, while ensuring that detention is not indefinite.”
Ny Breaking Australia has contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment.