Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Hansard source

unless the opposition thinks that we should interdict vessels that are not doing anything illegal and that we should interdict and unlawfully board vessels for no reason at all. Maybe that is the way the opposition would do business. I can tell you that Australia abides by its international obligations and the law of this country and the law of the sea. When that vessel was first ascertained, on 8 March, it was not observed to be doing anything unlawful. To say that it drifted for the next 17 days is a leap of speculation on the part of the opposition. Quite frankly, this vessel was sighted at that stage and subsequently, some 17 days later, it was reported as drifting. It was not stated as having drifted for the whole of the 17 days—