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

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Australia has given effect to that obligation by dispatching HMAS Armidale to rendezvous with the distressed vessel. Australia’s obligations are outlined in this respect through sections 265 and 317A of the Navigation Act 1912. It requires the master of a vessel to rescue persons in distress. That act does not apply to military vessels. Australian naval vessels give effect to rescues under ADF instructions and exercise the executive power under section 61 of the Australian Constitution.

This is the legal framework within which we operate. It is the framework within which civilised mainstream countries around the world seek to operate. We do so because there are mutual obligations around the world and because Australians may also find themselves in distress at sea in various parts of the world where we need to call upon others to exercise reciprocal responsibilities.

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