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

My question is to Senator Ellison, Minister for Justice and Customs. How does the minister explain the sudden appearance near our northern shores of the 80-metre ghost ship Jian Seng? How is it that an unmanned tanker, drifting aimlessly, can penetrate the Howard government’s weak border protection system totally unchallenged? Why did the Howard government take almost a full day to intercept the ghost ship? Can the minister confirm whether this was part of the support fleet for the flotilla of illegal fishing vessels that are plundering our fish stocks? How did this unmanned tanker manage to outsmart the Howard government in the zone targeted for illegal fishing?

Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly, I can say that Coastwatch sighted this vessel on 8 March with a group of other vessels 100 nautical miles north of the north-west cape of Cape Wessel. This vessel came to the attention of Coastwatch and a flight was dispatched. It was located and the Storm Bay was despatched to intercept this vessel, which was drifting at that stage, although it was not known whether or not the vessel was abandoned. The Storm Bay, as I understand it, arrived during darkness alongside the vessel mentioned and, due to the fact that it was night-time and having regard to the safety of the officers on board, a decision was made to stay alongside but not board the vessel and to do so at first light in the morning, when it would be safe to do so. That was not a delay which was in any way inappropriate. It was entirely appropriate in the circumstances to delay any boarding until the daylight hours, and that was done. The vessel was ascertained to be abandoned. It was thought to have been under tow but to have broken its tow, and it was consequently drifting.

What this does demonstrate is that we have in place aerial and maritime surveillance to intercept a vessel in these circumstances, and that was done. In fact, looking at what we have done for Customs since this government came to power, we have increased by just under 90 per cent the funding under the previous Labor government. Investigations are continuing in relation to this matter, which will now be conducted by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. They will take responsibility for recovering the vessel. This demonstrates yet again that we have adequate measures in place for border protection in this country.

If Senator Ludwig is advocating some sort of coastguard, he might want to tell us which version he wants, because there have been five proposed over the years by the opposition. Which one is he proposing? In fact, defence experts have criticised such a notion as being a duplication of assets and the establishment of a further bureaucracy. That is the problem with a coastguard. It would be cannibalising our Navy and our Customs maritime fleet and imposing a further bureaucracy, which would be costly and inefficient. In this case, we will continue to monitor the situation. We have air surveillance, maritime surveillance and unprecedented measures to our north looking after Australia’s borders, which the previous Labor government never had.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to 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?

Chris Ellison (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was in Singapore and the Philippines last week, and I can tell Senator Ludwig that there is great respect for border protection in this country—so much so that they want us to help them. They are asking us to help them set up border control measures in the region. We are doing it in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. We are helping the Singaporeans. This country is held in high regard for border protection and security. Senator Ludwig, when he takes his trip in a short while, ought to listen, and listen carefully, to what these countries say, because they will be praising the efforts of this country. They are asking us to help them because they have such a high regard for our border control.