People smugglers have co-opted navy: Coalition

11 Jul 2012, 7:44 pm   -   Source: AAP
Mr Abbott said the coalition would respect the defence force if there was a difference of opinion on the best way to tackle the asylum-seeker issue. (AAP)

Mr Abbott said the coalition would respect the defence force if there was a difference of opinion on the best way to tackle the asylum-seeker issue. (AAP)

Navy and customs vessels have been forced to come to the aid of two asylum seeker boats in 24 hours.

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People smugglers have effectively co-opted Australian border protection authorities to ferry asylum seekers to Christmas Island, the federal opposition says.

Navy and customs vessels have been forced to come to the aid of two asylum seeker boats in two days, despite at least one of the boats showing no obvious signs of distress.

The incidents have added weight to claims that people smugglers are now instructing boat crews to call Australian authorities for help so they can be escorted to Christmas Island, even when they are in no immediate danger.

Coalition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says it is a new phase in the government's border protection crisis.

"Australian naval and customs vessels (are) now effectively being co-opted by people smugglers to deliver their passengers for them to Christmas Island," he said.

"This is not why Australians joined the navy."

The latest boat made three distress calls about 100 nautical miles north of Christmas Island on Tuesday night.

HMAS Childers arrived at the scene on Wednesday morning and boarded the vessel, finding 65 people on board.

The passengers were transferred to the Childers and ACV Triton for transport to Christmas Island. It is unclear whether the boat was actually in distress.

On Tuesday, HMAS Childers responded to another boat - carrying 81 people - that called for help but was found to be showing "no visible signs of distress".

Those passengers were also transferred to the Childers to be taken to Christmas Island.

A boat carrying up to 180 people appeared to use a similar tactic last week.

Nevertheless, rescuers remain on high alert after two boat disasters last month.

A boat carrying about 200 people capsized on its way to Australia on June 21, leaving an estimated 90 people dead. Another boat carrying 134 people sank on June 27, leaving four people dead.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has been forced to fend off more criticism of his boat turnaround policy.

Former Defence Department secretary Paul Barratt says navy personnel would strongly object to turning boats back to Indonesia, one of Mr Abbott's three core asylum policies.

"They would hate it. Ordinary sailors would say this is not what we joined the navy for," Mr Barratt told the ABC.

But Mr Abbott remains unapologetic.

"I appreciate navy personnel have a difficult job to do often under highly distressing circumstances," Mr Abbott told reporters on Wednesday.

"But the fact is the navy has turned boats around before and it has done so with great professionalism and can do so again with the right support from government."

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