Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Ellison, the Minister for Justice and Customs, and concerns answers he gave to the Senate yesterday. In reference to the ghost ship Jian Seng, the 80-metre unmanned tanker found drifting well inside Australia’s borders, does the minister stand by his claim yesterday where he said:

What this does demonstrate is that we have in place aerial and maritime surveillance to intercept a vessel in these circumstances, and that was done.

How did a massive 80-metre steel hulled tanker manage to evade this brilliant surveillance network? Why did it take the Howard government two weeks to intercept the vessel after it entered Australian waters? And, since the Howard government’s border security is so porous, what actions has the minister undertaken to fix these problems?