Coalition to announce new planks of asylum policy, including scheme to buy unsafe asylum boats

Updated

A Coalition government would buy unseaworthy vessels from owners who might be tempted to sell them to smugglers, as part of its efforts to deter asylum seekers from coming to Australia.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will announce the new plank of the Coalition policy in Darwin today, along with plans to deploy more Australian police officers and boost Indonesia's search and rescue funding.

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison has told AM the policy reflects a single-minded focus on deterrents.

"That will include everything from significantly upgrading our involvement in joint operations with Indonesian national police," he said.

"It also includes our community outreach program, which would involve bounties ... working through villages, buying boats back where you can.

Key points Coalition government announces scheme to buy unseaworthy vessels

Hopes scheme will deter asylum seekers

Policy cost will be announced today

PM Kevin Rudd slams plan as "irresponsible"

Significant component of scheme is increasing Indonesia's search and rescue capabilities

Policy will be done through co-operation with local officials

"But also just promoting the awareness, like we did after the Bali bombings with counterterrorism, to raise awareness that people smuggling is a criminal activity and its things that shouldn't be encouraged or supported."

Mr Morrison says the cost of the policy will be announced by Mr Abbott today.

Shorten, Rudd ridicule plan to buy 'clunkers'

Labor frontbencher Bill Shorten has ridiculed the scheme, describing it as "a maritime version of cash for clunkers".

"We're going to have a three-star military general writing cheques for every leaky boat in South-East Asia," he said.

"We all know that the regional settlement agreement is starting to have an impact on people smugglers. The Opposition are getting desperate.

"Wait till the news gets out through South-East Asia that if you've got a leaky unsafe boat that the Australian taxpayer is going to buy it off you.

"I don't know who dreamed it up but I'm sure the Liberal Party should be taking that person and putting them in witness protection."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd also weighed in, describing the policy as "genuinely interesting".

"Mr Abbott's plan to have, it seems, a 3-star general, sitting at the end of a jetty with a cheque book to buy back fishing boats in Indonesia, is about as irresponsible as his plan for a paid parental leave scheme which gives $75,000 to millionaires," he said.

Coalition pledges funds to Indonesian rescue service

Mr Morrison says a significant component of their new policy is increasing the capacity of Indonesia's search and rescue capabilities, particularly along the southern Java coast.

"This is about building the capability to respond in Indonesia's search and rescue zone, not just the vessels, but the maintenance and the support for running those services," he said.

"[It's also about] increasing our own aerial surveillance to earlier detect vessels where we can and use that information to ensure that rescues are put in place and more readily wherever possible."

Mr Morrison says all aspects of the policy will be done through cooperation with local officials.

"Regional cooperation isn't about talk, its about actually doing things," he said.

"We need to significantly upscale the work that is being done throughout the region - not just in Indonesia but also in Malaysia and Sri Lanka."

Topics: refugees, immigration, community-and-society, federal-government, government-and-politics, abbott-tony, australia, indonesia

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