Labor sees Illegal Maritime Arrivals sent to Nauru for the first time in nine years
Today at Senate Estimates the Australian
Border Force revealed that last month a vessel was intercepted and its
passengers taken to Nauru for the first time in nine years. This is the ninth
people smuggling venture to attempt to arrive illegally in Australia since the
May 2022 Federal Election.
Once again Minister
O’Neil and Labor have shown that they can’t be trusted to keep our borders
safe.
The Coalition warned
Labor that its dismantling of Operation Sovereign Borders (OSB) would
re-incentivise people smugglers and put lives at risk. The latest venture comes
at the same time as a planned $600 million cut to border security in Labor’s
most recent budget, which the Australian Border Force Commissioner confirmed in
Senate Estimates in May 2023 would leave his frontline forces
“stretched”.
The most recent
venture is a chilling reminder of the illegal arrivals we saw the last time
Labor was in Government.
Between 2008 and
2013, more than 50,000 people arrived in Australia illegally on more than 820
boats, and tragically at least 1,200 died at sea.
By contrast, the
Coalition’s OSB sent a clear message of deterrence to people smugglers looking
to sell illegal voyages to Australia. This work is now being undone.
Only the Coalition
can be trusted to keep our borders safe.