While they may not have known all the details, the politicians of both major parties had to have understood that immigration fraud was taking place on a grand scale and had to have chosen to do nothing about it. The numbers of supposedly skilled permanent and temporary migrants are simply too great to have met all the requirements of serious skill shortages and not displacing Australian jobseekers. From the major parties' point of view, depressing wages and keeping the locals frightened of unemployment aren't bugs, they are features, since that is what their Big Business donors want. More demand also increases the value of their investment properties. In guessing what the politicians will do, it is always best to assume disloyalty and follow the money.

Banjo,

"There is no reason not to believe what the Minister says about the boats being stopped...."

There's every reason to suspect that man of not telling all - and I'm not referring to arrivals on Christmas Island.

My point was regarding your quote that:

".....Morrison is doing a terrific job and none have drowned thus far."

You have no idea what Morrison has been up to on the high seas. The only reason we "knew" about the 157 was that they made personal contact with Australian advocates...otherwise they would probably have been "disappeared" much more fulsomely than Morrison attempted with his dastardly scheme to scuttle them to India in his orange pods.

My point being that in the climate of Morrison's secrecy, it will probably take some time to discover the realities about "on water matters" sometime in the distant future.

Banjo, agree with you.
Re the boat where it was said that they threw the children into the sea.
Of course they did !
Wouldn't you throw your children into the sea if the boat was sinking !
I am sure I would especially if there were rescuers close by.

[This person is a sock puppet who has been barred from the forum for offensive behaviour. If anyone notices someone like this turning-up again can you please notify me? Their previous persona was Jay123. Thanks, GrahamY]

Poirot and Jay123 have finally lost it.
I am afraid that stupidity has finally reached its zenith.
This all about a a fictional boat that does not exist.

The only one responsible is the master who took an unseaworthy ship to sea !

Thats the way it is and no BS can change it !

But..B...B...B...Bazz,

"This all about a a fictional boat that does not exist."

Are you referring the boat that contained 157 Tamil asylum seekers?

Because if their boat didn't exist then they apparently landed in Australia's contiguous zone through exceptionally spooky means.

And who said it was unseaworthy?...since it was "intercepted" before it got here.

The point being made is that if the people on board that boat had not made personal contact with Australian advocates, we would have known "nothing" about them.

Why is it such a stretch to assume that other boats have managed to make it that far without it being publicly known - and if they did, we could ask what became of them?