Unimpeded boats could swamp migrants: Carr

2 Sep 2012, 12:08 pm   -   Source: AAP

Foreign Minister Bob Carr says Australia's migrant intake could be overtaken by boat arrivals unless deterrents such as offshore processing are in place.

Australia's migrant intake could be overtaken by boat arrivals unless deterrents such as offshore processing are in place, Foreign Minister Bob Carr says.

Senator Carr says the government's reopening of offshore processing on the Pacific island of Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus Island sends a message to those who cynically run businesses smuggling people to Australia.

"If Australia were to say you can sign up with a people smuggler, put your money down and enter territorial waters and you will be processed in Australia, we would very soon have all migrant intake occupied by the people brought here by people smugglers," he told Sky News on Sunday.

He said it was conceivable that, without deterrents, the number of people arriving by boat could eventually hit Australia's current immigration intake of 180,000 a year.

That would eliminate any chance that refugees waiting in camps for years would be able to migrate to Australia.

"It is a pretty pessimistic vision, but it could happen," Senator Carr said.

"That would mean us not taking people from camps who are waiting for processing to get to Australia - it would mean no other source of migrants to Australia."

Australian authorities have intercepted nine boats, carrying a total of about 580 suspected asylum seekers, off the West Australian coast since August 22.

Senator Carr said it was not humanitarian to have more people crowded into unseaworthy boats and put onto the high seas.

"That is what happens if you have access unimpeded to Australia from offshore processing," he said.

He said the refugee swap deal with Malaysia had to be added to the arrangements with Nauru and Manus Island as an extra deterrent to people smugglers.

Australian Greens leader Christine Milne said the deterrence model adopted by the government doesn't work.

Instead, Australia should "encourage people not to get on boats by promising them proper assessments and safe passage to Australia", she said.

This can be achieve through offering appropriate assessment processes and an increased humanitarian intake, Senator Milne told ABC Television on Sunday.

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