New boats to support customs and border protection

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Created on Wednesday, 09 May 2012 15:06

Written by Editorial staff

Two newly-acquired vessels are set to be transferred to Australia's Customs and Border Protection services in 2016 to support border protection and surveillance efforts in the Southern Ocean and at Ashmore Reef.

Yesterday (May 8), Justice and Home Affairs minister Jason Clare and Attorney-General Nicola Roxon announced that some $33.3 million in government funding would be provided to operate the two new ships.

One vessel - the 6,500-tonne Skandi Bergen - will be utilised for a range of Australian border protection functions, including disaster relief and humanitarian operations.

The vessel measures 105 metres in length and can accommodate up to 100 people.

Roxon asserted that the Skandi Bergen will play an instrumental role in Australia's economic security and territorial interests.

"The vessel is able to operate in sub-Antarctic weather conditions, making it ideal for the work it will undertake in the Southern Ocean," she said.

A second ship will be stationed at Ashmore Reef, which gained a notorious reputation as a target for asylum-seekers in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The Ashmore Reef group of islands is located some 600 km north-west of Broome. A ship here will act as a dedicated response and surveillance vessel, which will protect Australian interests at the site in the future.

According to yesterday's federal Budget, the government could face costs of more than $1 billion during the 2012-13 financial year due to the costs associated with offshore asylum-seekers.

Citing figures from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, The Australian revealed that a total of 1,443 asylum-seekers held a bridging visa and an additional 3,070 held in detention on the mainland as of May 3.

In the current financial year, Australia saw more than 2,500 boat arrivals - a record number.

Yesterday's Budget also revealed that over the next two fiscal years, a total of $11.3 million will be allocated to regional migration agencies to support the detection of people-smuggling operations.

The government has also allocated additional funding to support targeted migration, which will help to target skills shortages in regional Australia - particularly in growth regions.

An increase of 5,000 places in Australia's 2012-13 migration program will help the country deal with skills shortages, Immigration and Citizenship minister Chris Bowen said earlier this week.