http://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/latest/a/-/newshome/19030647/labor-attacks-governments-move-to-end-announcements-of-asylum-seeker-boat-arrivals/

This is not wartime. This is a democracy and the people have a right to know how many are arriving and what our government is doing because if bad things happen it will be in our name.

The way government departments leak information I doubt they will have much success in sitting on the numbers that arrive.
I think hide the boats will be as successful as stop the boats.
It is a big problem with amateurs trying to find a solution that suits the politics of the time.
Remove the politics and there may be a chance of an acceptable solution.
Sadly that ain't going to happen.

SD

As much as I don't like Government secrets anymore than the next person, I actually don't have a problem with this one.

If the media rave on about asylum seeker boats arriving on our shores and we watch TV footage of the arrivals happily being taken ashore, then potential leaky boat people and people smugglers will just be spurred on.

I would hate to see any others die at sea trying to reach our shores.
I also hate to see racist people rant and rave about 'illegals attacking our shores', and just revving up all the paranoid 'reds under the beds' brigade.

Suseonline, I understand your point and in some respects I could agree with it. however this government has to be held accountable for policy, or lack of. In opposition Abbott continually peddled the glib one liner "I'll stop the boats" which quickly morphed into "I'll buy the boats" and now its a case of "I'll hide the boats". In international affairs like in so many areas of government Abbott and his incompetent crew are going to prove themselves just that, incompetent, its only a matter of time.
It will be interesting how the conservative faithful on OLO react, when Labor was in power how quick they were to rush in with hysterical clap trap about the governments policy with call of "illegals...the hoards are coming, quick save your children, from these monsters" where are they now? As you say hiding under the bed from the reds.

Abbott has many methods to not tell us things we may not like.
This is both one of them and evidence he intends to deceive us as often as he can.
His stop the boats policy seems to demand we do not know how many come.
A media once content to blast the ALP daily on this issue is content to lift its dress and let him hide under it.

Come on you lot. We've had 6 years of nothing but mayhem & stuff-ups & none of you said anything. The Coalition has been in for two weeks & you expect them to rectify 6 years ? Get real !