PETER LLOYD: The Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison, has been giving his weekly report on progress in disrupting the arrival of asylum seekers by boat.

The Minister says just one vessel has arrived in the past week. Eight boats bound for Australia have been stopped since the Government won the election.

There have been arrests too - in Indonesia, Lebanon, and here in Australia.

Political Correspondent Louise Yaxley reports from Canberra

LOUISE YAXLEY: The Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, spent the day in Darwin to highlight the arrival of a boat. It's a new Cape Class Patrol Boat to help the Government keep its promise to "stop the boats," that is, those carrying asylum seekers.

TONY ABBOTT: This is an important escalation in our ability to maintain border security in the seas around Australia. Australia has almost 60,000 kilometres of coastline. We are responsible for safety in 11 per cent of the Earth's oceans. This is a massive responsibility and we need the right personnel, the right equipment and the right will to do it properly.

LOUISE YAXLEY: And in Sydney, the Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison's, given his weekly update about the Government's efforts to keep that much vaunted promise about stopping asylum seeker boats.

SCOTT MORRISON: Operation Sovereign Borders is not just about off-shore processing and maritime operations; it is about disruption and deterrence throughout the region.

LOUISE YAXLEY: One boat arrived yesterday at the Cocos Keeling Islands but the acting Commander of Operation Sovereign Borders, Mark Binskin, won't say yet how many people were on board or where they are from.

MARK BINSKIN: Consistent with normal practise for these reports, the number of people on board this vessel will be reflected in the next report once those people have been processed at Christmas Island.

LOUISE YAXLEY: Federal Police Commissioner Tony Negus says other people have been stopped from getting on to boats in Indonesia.

TONY NEGUS: During the last few weeks, since the 8th of September specifically, there have been 17 disruptions in Indonesia where over 550 passengers have been stopped getting onto boats. That's a result of the co-operative relationship between the AFP (Australian Federal Police), other agencies here in Australia and the Indonesian National Police.

The Indonesian National Police have also made eight arrests - five crew members from the boats that I've just talked about, but also importantly three high-value targets. These are people who are facilitators and organisers within Indonesia who put people on those boats to start with. These people are yet to go to court but will be charged with multiple ventures and organising multiple ventures to this country.

Also importantly just yesterday they issued an arrest warrant for a very significant people smuggler in Indonesia who'll be tracked down over coming weeks and should appear in court very soon we hope.

LOUISE YAXLEY: And Air Marshal Binskin says there have been arrests in Lebanon over the boat tragedy off the coast of Java in Indonesia a fortnight ago, which killed an estimated 50 people.

MARK BINSKIN: Lebanese authorities, working with the task group, have arrested five persons for questioning in relation to the recent tragic event off the west coast of Java.

LOUISE YAXLEY: Commissioner Negus also says four people have been arrested in Australia over last few months and charged with associated offences relating to 132 boats reaching the Australian coast.

TONY NEGUS: These people are now before the courts. But I can assure you we have multiple investigations ongoing within Australia and we expect further arrests within the coming weeks. Now I'll just reiterate what the Minister just said, that these people could face substantial periods in jail with maximum sentences of up to 10 years imprisonment.

LOUISE YAXLEY: The weekly update's revealed there are 1,059 asylum seekers on Manus Island, 800 at Nauru, and 2,176 people on Christmas Island.

Mr Morrison says the Government's now reached agreement with both Nauru and Papua New Guinea for asylum seekers to live once they've been processed and found to be refugees

SCOTT MORRISON: Without this accommodation in place for post processing, the threat of people not coming to Australia was hollow and without substance. By moving to establish these facilities, the Abbott Government can back up our policy that says you will not be coming to Australia and we mean what we say.

PETER LLOYD: That's the Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison, ending that report from Louise Yaxley.