‘Absolute disgrace’: Marles says Coalition risked lives in publicising Sri Lankan boat interception

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has accused the Coalition of risking lives in publicising the interception of a suspected asylum-seeker boat on election day.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age reported on Tuesday that then-prime minister Scott Morrison’s office ordered Australian Border Force to issue a press release about the boat’s arrival on Saturday morning.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has lashed the former prime minister for issuing the directive.Credit: Simon Schluter

Rear Admiral Justin Jones, commander of Operation Sovereign Borders, then issued a public statement about the incident, which Morrison and the Liberal Party used to claim that Labor would be weak on border security.

Immediately after the disclosure of the boat arrival on Saturday, the Liberal Party began texting voters in marginal seats: “BREAKING – Aust Border Force has intercepted an illegal boat trying to reach Aus. Keep our borders secure by voting Liberal today.”

It was against Border Force policy to comment while an operation was under way and put the agency under huge pressure, according to multiple Labor and Home Affairs sources.

The government has asked Department of Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo to report back on why Border Force made the disclosure, including whether there was political interference from Morrison’s office.

While Border Force will face questions as to why it publicised the incident, the review is expected to show that the directive came from Morrison’s office. Labor sources said it was a gross breach of the caretaker provisions.

Marles said on Friday if the reports were correct that Morrison’s office was involved, “then this represents the final desperate acts of a dying government”.

“It’s serious in the sense that it did make our borders less secure,” he said.

“It’s serious in that it risked lives ... and it undermined the national consensus that does exist around border security.”

Asked to comment on Border Force’s actions, Marles pointed to the review being conducted by Pezzullo.

“I think what’s really clear here is that this was an unusual event where a matter which should never have been in the public domain was placed in the public domain,” he said.

“It’s an absolute disgrace. And the text messages that we then saw from the Liberal Party later in that day says everything about how the Liberal Party is only concerned about itself.

“It does not have regard for the national interests.

“The issue here is the actions of the former government. The former government sought to inject politics into a matter of national security.”

Border Force officers boarded the vessel after intercepting it west of Christmas Island on Saturday.

At the direction of Marles and Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Border Force continued turning the boat back and it this week returned to Sri Lanka.

Human Rights Watch’s Australia researcher Sophie McNeill said the reported turn-back was a “violation” of Australia’s legal obligation not to forcibly return people to places where their lives or freedom would be threatened.

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