The boat was stocked with provisions and the crew was skilled. When Australian officials boarded, the vessel was not in distress, and had not asked for help. Authorities mistreated the passengers, then handed over $US32,000 ($A44,500) to make the problem go away.

Or perhaps the boat was in desperate straits and called for help. The weather was rough and forecast to worsen; without help, the occupants may have died. Australian officials boarded and kept everyone safe. Money may or may not have changed hands.

These are two conflicting accounts by asylum seekers and the government of what occurred on the high seas in May last year, when passengers and Indonesian police claim Australian officials bribed the crew of a boat of asylum seekers to return to Indonesia.

The reports were scrutinised at a Senate hearing on Friday. The government does not deny it made the alleged payments, which would have involved taxpayer money funding a potentially illegal practice, which critics say would have put lives at risk.