The Coalition believes its policy to appoint a senior military commander to lead a taskforce to counter people smuggling will allow the problem to be "tackled with decisiveness, urgency, and the appropriate level of seriousness".
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has unveiled the plan for a multi-agency taskforce led by a three-star military commander to deal with asylum seekers who come to Australia by boat a week after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd ramped up Labor's approach to the issue.
Mr Rudd last Friday announced Labor's hardline plan to resettle all boat arrivals in Papua New Guinea or a third country.
Mr Abbott says the situation on Australia's borders is a national emergency that needed an urgent and decisive response.
"This is one of the most serious external situations that we have faced in many a long year," he told reporters in Brisbane.
"That's why need to have a senior military officer in operations control of this very important national emergency."
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