The federal government's failure to stop the flow of asylum seeker boats has forced the reopening of a detention centre in Western Australia, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says.
The Curtin air base, 40km outside the Kimberley town of Derby, has been recommissioned to house up to 300 Sri Lankans and Afghans whose refugee status applications have been suspended.
The detention facility was closed in 2002 but the government has reopened it as the Christmas Island detention facility goes over capacity, only months before a likely federal election.
"If Prime Minister Kevin Rudd could stop the boats then Curtin wouldn't be needed," Mr Abbott told reporters in Perth on Monday.
"The difference between Mr Rudd and the former government is that the former government stopped the boats.
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"Sure it's good to stop overcrowding on Christmas Island but wouldn't it be better to stop the boats coming? "Mr Rudd can't do that, he's completely lost control of our borders."
In April, Immigration Minister Chris Evans announced the government would suspend the claims of Sri Lankan asylum seekers for three months and make those from Afghanistan wait six months.
