After 100 days without the arrival of an asylum seeker boat on Australian shores, the Prime Minister claimed victory on Saturday: He had stopped the boats.

"We can say to all of the people who scoffed, we can say to all of the people who said it couldn’t be done … that it was just a simple slogan - that it can be done," Tony Abbott said.

"It can be done": Tony Abbott with Immigration Minister Scott Morrison. Credit:Fiona Morris

But the government's claim of success came after revelations that two Australian employees of security contractor G4S are suspects in the brutal killing of asylum seeker Reza Barati on Manus Island.

The Prime Minister maintained the government's silence on how many boats had been turned back under Operation Sovereign Borders.