Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Murray for her question. I assume she is not referring to a different vessel, but in fact to the Oceanic Viking. I say to the honourable member in response to the two parts of her question that the operational decision-making concerning this and all other matters concerning people-smuggling lie, as is normal, between the national security adviser in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the associated other government agencies and departments, including the Customs and Border Protection Service, Defence where necessary, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship where necessary, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as you would expect.

As to the second part of the honourable member’s question—as to the disembarkation of individuals from the Oceanic Viking to the port within Indonesia—I am sure that will be handled as appropriately as possible by Australian and Indonesian personnel in what will be a very difficult operation. Let us be frank about it. We are dealing with a complex, difficult and challenging set of circumstances. I have confidence that our men and women who are working in these professional agencies will discharge their professional responsibilities with the greatest degree of skill, tact and humanity that they can, but this is a very difficult situation.

The government, as I have said before, is completely consistent in its approach to its overall attitude to immigration, which is that we will proceed with a hardline policy as far as people-smugglers are concerned, and a humane approach to asylum seekers. I say again to the member for Murray, as she has asked the question: were those opposite in power at the time that this vessel issued a distress call and we received a request under the relevant provisions of international maritime law, are they seriously suggesting that, having received a request from the Indonesian search and rescue authority, we should not have acted?

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