Quite right Pericles, it is long past the time we can blame the past Government for what the present Government is doing now.
All our borders need protecting, not just the North west of Australia.

Far more potential immigrants come here by plane than by boat, yet our airports do not have nearly enough staff to adequately check that we don't have 'undesirables' entering or re-entering Australia....especially those that go to war-torn countries to fight alongside terrorists.
We don't need these sorts of people in Australia....

It is also worth noting that the present scandal involves heavy rorting of the 457 visa system by professional criminals. And that they were aided and abetted, allegedly, by compliant Australian companies who turned a blind eye to their activities, importing unskilled workers under the skilled migrant category:

"Leaked confidential company documents, along with statements from sources with detailed knowledge of the company's internal workings, have revealed how it has sponsored many Irish workers as 'project administrators' or in other skilled roles, but employed them as labourers, machine operators and storemen... the firm was 'constantly in breach of immigration laws' by sponsoring unskilled Irish workers when unskilled workers 'could have been sourced locally'.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/visa-fraud-suspects-fled-after-wiring-1m-overseas-20140807-3dbmu.html

So the immigration people at the airport were let down by the bureaucracy that allowed the 457 visa in the first place. Successive governments - not just this one or the last one - have allowed their Departments to featherbed incompetency at almost every level.

Although least of all, it has to be said, on the front line, where the sheer bloated incompetence of the masses of managers and administrators in their comfy nine-to-four-thirty Canberra offices actually manifests itself.

Paul1405 "another Abbott Government failure?"
Bazz "a long term Rudd & Gillard failure"
runner "another Labour/Green failure"

Shockadelic: another Pavlovian Tweedles voters' failure.

While people keeping voting for the Tweedles, immigration, legal or illegal, is never going to be honestly assessed and managed.

Paul,
If you had read the smh articles properly you would see that the government, as far back as 2008, was aware of the fraud taking place. While the labor government was splashing money money everywhere the DIAC was short changed of funds to investigate and combat the fraud.

That is just another example of the Labor incompetence.

If current Minister Morrison deals with this the same as the illegal boats matter then it will be rectified, but the question needs to be asked when did he become aware of the fraud going on. Is the DIAC so full of rats that they did not inform him of the situation. I expect some heads to roll quickly and prosecutions of criminals, including the immigration agents, migrants and employers.

Certainly it is well past time that immigration was drastically reduced. Interesting to see if those migrants who participated in the fraud will be deported and/or their permanent residency visas withdrawn.

I look forward to further statements from the Minister. These crooks have and are taking jobs from Australian citizens. As well as defrauding our taxpayers.

Regarding the thousands of 'plane people' it's been written ----

"Another Abbott government failure"

"A long term Rudd & Gillard failure"

"Another Labor/Green failure"

To which we can add,

"A very long term and hopeless Howard Libs/Nats failure".

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship needs to be reviewed. In particular the employee recruitment practices and contracting of consultants.