Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. How many days was the vessel in Australian waters before it was intercepted, and when will the minister admit that under the Howard government our border security has become the laughing stock of South-East Asia? If there are now some 13,000 illegal vessel sightings in our waters, when will the minister act to stop the plunder of our seas? When will the Howard government really get serious about border protection by building a dedicated national coastguard?