People smugglers have been sent a strong reminder from the federal government: "You will not succeed".
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton marked two years since an asylum-seeker boat arrived in Australia during a visit to Cairns on Wednesday.
After touring the Cape Saint George border force vessel the pair insisted the government was committed to maintaining the security of Australia's borders and its policies have not changed since the election.
"To those people who seek to come to Australia by boat - don't. You will not succeed," Mr Turnbull said.
"You will be turned back."
Mr Dutton said Wednesday was an important milestone, but the work was not over.
"The biggest mistake that Australians can make is to believe that the people smugglers have gone away."
He warned people smugglers were trying to organise ventures out of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and India and the government was working with its regional partners to stop them.
"I want to speak very directly today to the people smugglers across our region, to say that you cannot continue to lie to people, to innocent people."
Since the start of Operation Sovereign Borders, 734 people aboard 28 boats have been returned.
