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| Asylum seekers in Australia fall by more than half in a month, says Burke | Asylum seekers in Australia fall by more than half in a month, says Burke |
| (17 days later) | |
| The number of asylum seekers arriving in Australia fell by more than half in the last month since the announcement of the government's "PNG solution", with the immigration minister, Tony Burke, saying that for the first time that the numbers of asylum seekers arriving on Christmas Island was declining. | The number of asylum seekers arriving in Australia fell by more than half in the last month since the announcement of the government's "PNG solution", with the immigration minister, Tony Burke, saying that for the first time that the numbers of asylum seekers arriving on Christmas Island was declining. |
| Burke said 1,585 asylum seekers had arrived in Australia by boat in August, compared with 4,236 in July. The plan, announced on 19 July, stops all asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat from settling in Australia. | Burke said 1,585 asylum seekers had arrived in Australia by boat in August, compared with 4,236 in July. The plan, announced on 19 July, stops all asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat from settling in Australia. |
| "The results speak for themselves," Burke said. "[We have seen] much less than half of the number of people arriving in the first month of operation." | "The results speak for themselves," Burke said. "[We have seen] much less than half of the number of people arriving in the first month of operation." |
| "It is also been true that now for the first time we are seeing the population of [processing centre] Christmas Island start to fall rather than rise. | "It is also been true that now for the first time we are seeing the population of [processing centre] Christmas Island start to fall rather than rise. |
| "The people-smuggling trade no longer has a product to sell and it is now fair to say that while there will be a few more boats that will test our resolve … we have broken the back of the people-smuggling trade." | "The people-smuggling trade no longer has a product to sell and it is now fair to say that while there will be a few more boats that will test our resolve … we have broken the back of the people-smuggling trade." |
| Burke ridiculed the Coalition Indonesian boat buyback plan as "the most absurd thing", saying the PolitiFact website also described it as one of the "most ridiculous" of all the Coalition policies. | Burke ridiculed the Coalition Indonesian boat buyback plan as "the most absurd thing", saying the PolitiFact website also described it as one of the "most ridiculous" of all the Coalition policies. |
| But the Coalition immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison, defended his scheme as just one of the "tools" for the Australian federal police and other agencies to use in the fight against people smugglers, as part of a $67m suite of policies for a regional deterrence. | But the Coalition immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison, defended his scheme as just one of the "tools" for the Australian federal police and other agencies to use in the fight against people smugglers, as part of a $67m suite of policies for a regional deterrence. |
| "It's an operational measure, it's about giving the AFP and others the tools to do the job," Morrison said. | "It's an operational measure, it's about giving the AFP and others the tools to do the job," Morrison said. |
| He said there was no "market day" for boats but rather it allowed agencies acting on intelligence regarding people smugglers' movements to move in and buy a boat if it was needed. | He said there was no "market day" for boats but rather it allowed agencies acting on intelligence regarding people smugglers' movements to move in and buy a boat if it was needed. |
| "In a tactical situation where intelligence has led to a particular village in a particular place, if those people on the ground running that operation believe that if they snatch that boat, they will disrupt that operation then they will do that," Morrison said. | "In a tactical situation where intelligence has led to a particular village in a particular place, if those people on the ground running that operation believe that if they snatch that boat, they will disrupt that operation then they will do that," Morrison said. |
| "If they think there is another way to disrupt that operation, then they will do that." | "If they think there is another way to disrupt that operation, then they will do that." |
| Questioned on Sunday, Tony Abbott said it was possible that no boats would be bought under the policy, which has been criticised by the head of Indonesia's parliamentary commission for foreign affairs, Mahfudz Siddiq. | Questioned on Sunday, Tony Abbott said it was possible that no boats would be bought under the policy, which has been criticised by the head of Indonesia's parliamentary commission for foreign affairs, Mahfudz Siddiq. |
| This is really a crazy idea, unfriendly, derogatory and it shows lack of understanding in this matter," Siddiq told the Australian Associated Press. | This is really a crazy idea, unfriendly, derogatory and it shows lack of understanding in this matter," Siddiq told the Australian Associated Press. |
| Burke said the drop in asylum seekers was a result of the government's communications policy – a policy that was criticised for using taxpayers' money during the caretaker period of the election campaign. | Burke said the drop in asylum seekers was a result of the government's communications policy – a policy that was criticised for using taxpayers' money during the caretaker period of the election campaign. |
| "Anybody who thought there was going to be a capacity problem, the numbers now speak for themselves that there will not be," he said. | "Anybody who thought there was going to be a capacity problem, the numbers now speak for themselves that there will not be," he said. |
| "The impact of the policy and the communication of the policy is having the exact impact that we believed it would and we were determined that it would have." | "The impact of the policy and the communication of the policy is having the exact impact that we believed it would and we were determined that it would have." |
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