Bang! Canberra spin unravels as asylum boat hits shore: Report
May 14, 2010 02:42 am
According to the Rudd government, this is the moment the latest asylum seeker boat was “successfully intercepted”.
But, as you can see, authorities were nowhere to be seen
when the boat containing 55 people chugged into
The government tells it differently. “Border Protection
Command today successfully intercepted a suspected irregular entry vessel,”
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor said in a press release. “HMAS Glenelg,
operating under the control of Border Protection Command, intercepted the
vessel … near
In fact, HMAS Glenelg rushed to the scene only after locals radioed the navy. It is understood islanders helped guide the boat away from the jetty, told them to tie up at a buoy and to where to wait for the navy.
“If this is a successful interception I would hate to see an
unsuccessful one,” said Opposition spokesman Michael Keenan. “People smugglers
are now delivering direct to
The vessel is the eighth this month, and the 125th since the Rudd government took office.
The Prime Minister’s sensitivity to the issue was exposed by an email chain accidentally forwarded to reporters showing how press releases about boat arrivals are cleared by his office.
The release included a note from one of Mr Rudd’s advisers helpfully suggesting that it include a reference to “one/all of our BP [border protection] spends” in the budget.
Four minutes later, another email hurtled around, pleading for this to be recalled.
Too late. Everyone already knew what the PM’s office had
attempted. Call it budget-smuggling. – (The Age,
