Sri Lankan fuel deal helps stop asylum-seeker boats

Australia’s arrangement to supply the Sri Lankan navy with tens of millions of dollars worth of fuel for its patrol boats to stop would-be people-smuggling voyages setting sail for Australia is a good initiative by the Albanese government. During the election campaign Anthony Albanese promised to continue the Coalition’s policy of turning back asylum-seeker boats that arrived in Australia, which was an “effective policy”.

To the government’s credit, it has added an additional arm to Operation Sovereign Borders to meet the needs of the times. It is assisting Sri Lanka, which is in the grip of a crippling economic crisis, to prevent a surge in the number of asylum-seeker boat voyages as Sri Lankans try to escape their country’s parlous plight. The country is effectively bankrupt, unable to buy food, fuel, medicine and fertiliser. In April it defaulted on its international debt and last month inflation reached 60 per cent. Schools and public institutions have been closed to preserve oil.

The fuel deal for the naval patrol boats reportedly was arranged during Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil’s visit to Colombo in late June. Sri Lanka’s ability to conduct maritime patrols had been limited for months amid dire fuel shortages and the economic crisis. Australia also donated 4200 GPS trackers to help keep track of Sri Lanka’s fishing trawler fleet – the boats of choice for people-smugglers. Sri Lanka’s three main patrol boats and several smaller craft are now being refuelled regularly in India at Australia’s expense. The arrangement was put into force about a fortnight ago. Without a concerted effort, Australia would likely be dealing with another armada of asylum-seeker vessels.

The Sri Lankan navy has stopped at least 17 would-be asylum-seeker voyages in recent months. Most were prevented from sailing from port or were stopped close to the island country’s coast. The Australian Border Force recently confirmed it intercepted four boats in June, the Albanese government’s first full month in office, as people-smugglers set out to test its resolve. That was the highest number of asylum boats in a month since 2015. The 125 passengers and crew were deported back to Colombo. And on Friday last week an ABF ship returned 46 Sri Lankans to Colombo after intercepting their vessel on July 21 near Australian territory. It was believed to be Australia’s first deportation by sea.

Every people-smuggling vessel from Sri Lanka that has ­set sail for Australia since 2013 has been stopped. But not even well-publicised interceptions have dissuaded some Sri Lankans from seeking a better life in Australia. Amid potential asylum-seekers’ hopes that the Labor government may have softened Australia’s tough border policies, the Albanese government needs to be careful about mixed messages. On one hand, Ms O’Neil has been frank with Sri Lankans, reiterating the fact Operation Sovereign Borders remains government policy. “Don’t get on a boat and think that you are going to be able to make a life in Australia,” she told potential asylum-seekers. “You will be turned back. Everyone who has tried to make it to Australia by boat since the election is now back in their country of origin, and that will continue. I would just urge Sri Lankans to understand that there has been no change in government policy.”

On the other hand, publicity surrounding the Murugappan family, who have been granted permanent settlement, will probably tempt some desperate Sri Lankans to chance their lives on the high seas. Priya and Nades Murugappan, whose two daughters were born in Australia, came here separately on people-smugglers’ boats. Numerous court proceedings found the Tamil couple were not refugees. The family, who established themselves as good citizens in Biloela, central Queensland, became a cause celebre, backed by townspeople and some Twitterati. After the family’s long battle with authorities, the Albanese government granted them bridging visas in May and permanent visas last week.

Governments act on individual immigration applicants from time to time and are entitled to do so. While the decision was popular with many, the government added to interest in the case with photographs of the Prime Minister hugging the family and accepting flowers from them. The government has made clear the case does not change Operation Sovereign Borders. But the family’s outcome and the welcome from Mr Albanese, however, is likely to be exploited as a selling point by people-smugglers. The best deterrent is to deal with boats one by one, in conjunction with Sri Lanka, as the government is doing.