Foxy,

Bribery is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in charge of a public or legal duty. Given that the boat drivers are unlikely to be officials or other persons in charge of public or legal duties, the accusation of bribery is ridiculous.

Secondly sending Indonesian boats crewed by Indonesians and passengers that departed from Indonesia back to the closest port in Indonesia is not a crime, I challenge you to show which law has been broken.

Dear Shadow Minister,

Let us wait and see what develops with this matter.

It's not me you have to challenge but the immigration
and law experts who are telling us that paying
people smugglers constitutes a crime
and is against domestic and
international laws. I am not a law expert.
I am simply quoting what we are being told by the
experts. Google the information for yourself if you
want to learn more on the subject - or contact a
lawyer.

Lol!...

"Bribery is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in charge of a public or legal duty. Given that the boat drivers are unlikely to be officials or other persons in charge of public or legal duties, the accusation of bribery is ridiculous."

I reckon it's gonna take us a full day to untangle SM from that convoluted reasoning - rhetorical gymnastics at its most supurlative.

Fancy all those "boat drivers" turning up on the high seas with their hulls full of desperate people - and totally unconnected with any people smuggling...boggles the mind!

The international convention and expectation is that any naval vessel, upon encountering a master of a vessel who could be putting his passengers or crew at risk, for instance by operating unsafely or is acting illegally would be directed back to the port of departure'

It is relevant that these are Indonesian registered and Indonesian skippered and crewed boats.

The Indonesian government has responsibilities is is avoiding, but are obvious internationally.

There is a lot of misinformation about and it is aimed at giving oxygen to the criminal gangs that operate internationally, not only in people smuggling but in the trafficking of drugs and sex slaves to take a couple of examples, and to the hangers-on such as lawyers, NGOs and bureaucrats who make their dough and careers out of the economic migrants.

Perhaps the following website may clarify the
questions of what laws Australia is breaking if
it pays human traffickers to keep migrants away:

http://qz.com/428105/all-the-laws-australia-is-breaking-if-it-pays-human-traffickers-to-keep-migrants-away/

Yes, Poirot, paying ships' crews to take people back to Indonesia is likely to encourage an increase in the number of boats. Let's call that 'supply'.

But one problem: leaving from, and arriving back in, Indonesia may have a dampening effect on the number of people willing to pay for the round-trip. Let's call this 'demand'.

So there could be a rapidly growing divergence between supply and demand - an over-supply of boats, and an under-demand of passengers.

Microeconomic theory would suggest that the smugglers will lower their prices to encourage greater demand.

But paying to buy something that you don't ever get, and then being asked to pay for it again, and again, might please Gerry Harvey but there may be diminishing enthusiasm on the part of customers. So it may be with refugees in Indonesia, desperate but not stupid.

So smugglers could lower their prices to near zero and still have no takers.

Isn't that likely ?

Just trying to help :)

Joe