LABOR has attempted to censure the Prime Minister over the Coalition’s refusal to confirm if it paid off people smugglers to return an asylum boat to Indonesia.

The issue reached a head in parliamentary Question Time today when the opposition repeatedly pressed the Coalition over the matter.

In multiple questions to Tony Abbott, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, Labor pressed the Coalition on if they paid $US30,000 to people smugglers to return asylum-seekers back to Indonesia.

Mr Abbott, Ms Bishop and Mr Dutton all cited “intelligence,security and operational matters” in their refusal to answer the questions.

Launching the suspension of standing orders to censure the PM, manager of opposition business Tony Burke said the government was in “absolute chaos”.

“We have no choice but to suspend standing orders when we have a situation where that man is physically incapable of answering a question,” Mr Burke said.

“Australian taxpayers have a right to know where their money is spent. Australian taxpayers have a right to know, in particular, if their money is going to the most vile trade that both sides of this chamber have made the strongest comments against.”

Mr Burke’s motion was seconded by opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles.

“What we now need to hear from the PM is a clear statement, a clear statement of clarity about whether or not people smugglers were paid to take people back to Indonesia,” Mr Marles said.

“Otherwise he is leaving out there the kind of inducement for people smugglers to get on the water, turn up next to an Australian navy vessel and demand payment.”

Tony Abbott is coming under increasing criticism over the incident, with Indonesia said to be furious over the matter.

The PM and his senior ministers have all refused to confirm whether or not any such payment was made.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton responded to the censure motion and while not confirming if a payment was made he said the Australian government would do “whatever it takes” to stop the people smugglers.

“For arguments sake, if we were faced with a situation where because of sea state we had even a threat of people going into the water, if we had the threat of a boat capsizing, if we were faced with that situation, if we were trying to turn that boat back we would do whatever it took within the law to make sure that under Operation Sovereign Borders we could stop that vessel from landing on Australian soil,” Mr Dutton said.

“We make no apology for it whatsoever. I will do whatever it takes, the Prime Minister of this country will do whatever it takes to protect our border protection staff, to protect our defence staff personnel who are operating under Operation Sovereign Borders.”

The House voted 82 to 47 not to suspend standing orders.

EXCLUSIVE: Paying smugglers ‘would save us money’

Earlier, former immigration minister and architect of the Pacific Solution Philip Ruddock says if any payment was made to people smugglers to return to Indonesia, the government would still be saving money in the long term.

Speaking to News Corp Australia this morning Father of The House Mr Ruddock said it cost Australia “millions and millions” of dollars to process the asylum seekers who came to our shores as a result of people smuggling activity under Labor.

“The amount of money that was allegedly paid is nothing in comparison to the cost of processing the excessive amount of people who came to Australia as a result of people smuggling activity.”

However Mr Ruddock was not directly commenting on if a payment was made or not.

“Having so many people come to Australia as a result of the hideous people smuggling trade and processing them in Australia cost millions and millions of dollars,” he said.

“It effectively destroyed Australia’s capacity to accept genuine refugees who applied through the appropriate channels. That was stalled completely for four years under Labor.”

Mr Ruddock, who served as immigration minister in the Howard government from 1996 to 2003, said Indonesia needed to do its part to stem the people smuggling trade. He said Indonesia needed to charge those who had made the allegations about the payments because they were complicit in people smuggling activities.

“Indonesia has laws to deal with people smuggling and they should charge those involved,” Mr Ruddock said.

Call for turn boat-back probe

His comments came as Labor and the Greens called for a full investigation into allegations Australian authorities paid off people smugglers.

Opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles today wrote to the auditor-general urging a probe into the alleged $30,000 payment to a people smuggler captain and his crew to stop a vessel reaching Australian waters.

The vessel was understood to have been en-route to New Zealand.

It comes as Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said she would be asking the Australian Federal Police to launch a probe into the alleged payments.

THE LETTER: What the Greens have said to the AFP

“I think it’s time the AFP investigate,” Senator Hanson-Young told ABC radio.

“Tony Abbott at best is a diplomatic klutz.

“He is antagonising our closest neighbour.”

In his letter to the auditor-general Mr Marles described the situation as “concerning”.

“I ask that you consider urgently investigating these concerning circumstances,” Mr Marles said.

“Including if any payment to people smugglers or their agents was made and if so the nature of how or why it was properly authorised.”

The calls for an investigation follows comments by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in The Australian today that Indonesia needed to do more to stop people smuggling activities in the first place.

Ms Bishop did not deny the alleged payments were made.

International law expert Don Rothwell said if Australian authorities had made payments to people smugglers it would be “tantamount to people smuggling activity”.

“That’s effectively people smuggling,” Professor Rothwell said this morning.

“It is an act of people smuggling.”

The Daily Telegraph today reported that Australia’s foreign intelligence service ASIS may have made the payments.

Former immigration minister now Social Services Minister Scott Morrison also refused to confirm if Australian authorities were involved in any payments to people smugglers or their agents.

“What Australians know is that we stopped the boats,” Mr Morrison told 2GB’s Ray Hadley.

“People have made unfounded allegations but our critics just can’t stomach one simple thought and that is they said we could never stop the boats but it sticks in their craw that we were able to achieve what they said we couldn’t achieve.”

Mr Morrison said the Coalition would continue to stop the boats for as long as they were in office.

“One thing is for sure and that is that any vessel that leaves Indonesia wont be coming to Australia,” Mr Morrison said.

“If they don’t want the boats to be turned back don’t let them leave Indonesia.”

Mr Morrison said that it was up to the relevant ministers to comment on the issue.

He said he had “every confidence” that officers involved in border protection behaved appropriately.

“I have every confidence officers involved in operation sovereign borders have always and will always operate lawfully,” Mr Morrison said.

Email: Lanai.Scarr@news.com.au