New Zealand asylum offer fuels smuggle trade

Jacinda Arden’s offer to resettle 150 asylum-seekers is believed to have prompted an escalation in people-­smuggling operations.

Australian Border Force officers stop a people-smuggling boat with 29 asylum-seekers last month.

New Zealand’s offer to resettle 150 asylum-seekers from Manus ­Island late last year is believed to have prompted an escalation in people-­smuggling operations, with intelligence officials claiming at least three boats had recently sought to test the shift in policy and use the country as a “back door” to Australia.

The Australian has confirmed that asylum-seekers aboard a boat intercepted by a naval patrol just before Christmas had told immigration officials that smugglers had told them their destination was New Zealand.

It is understood that Sri Lankan authorities late last year also disrupted two people-smuggling ventures in their territory in which the asylum-seekers believed that they were bound for New Zealand.

Intelligence operations detected increasing “chatter” in the past three months in which New Zealand was specifically mentioned as a destination.

A source said there was ­evidence that the apparent rise in people-smuggling activity marketing New Zealand had followed the Ardern government’s offer to take asylum-seekers from Australian offshore detention centres.

They said there was little likelihood that any boat would reach New Zealand, leaving Australian authorities to deal with any rise in smuggling operations.

Newly elected Prime Minister Jacinda Arden late last year criticised Australia’s offshore processing policy and offered to take 150 men from Manus Island — an offer first made by the Key government in 2013. It is believed that New Zealand agencies have been alerted to the developments through the Five Eyes intelligence network of which New Zealand and Australia are members.

The diplomatic row over Manus Island is unlikely to subside. The Australian government claims it has been forced to roll out new deterrence measures in Sri Lanka, including a media blitz in active people-smuggling regions warning that those seeking to travel to Australia or New Zealand will not get past the strengthened maritime defence net.

Last month Australian ­border-protection authorities intercepted a people-smuggling boat with 29 Sri Lankans on board.

It was reported at the time that the Sri Lankans had been headed for Australia and had been intercepted off the coast of Western Australia. However, it has since been revealed that the passengers told Australian authorities that they had left Sri Lanka in mid-­November intending to travel to New Zealand.

Peter Dutton and his agency heads meet at Parliament House, Canberra. From left: Michael Phelan, CEO Aust.Criminal Intelligence Commission; Nicole Rose, CEO Aust. Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre; Michael Pezzullo, Secretary Dept. Home Affairs; Minister Dutton; Duncan Lewis, Director-General ASIO; Andrew Colvin, Commissioner AFP; Michael Outram, A/G Australian Border Force Commissioner.

Operation Sovereign Borders launched a new anti-smuggling campaign three weeks ago using the recent return of the 29 people claiming to be headed for New Zealand as evidence that Australia’s policies had not changed.

A source within the new ­Department of Home Affairs said there had been recent “high level” chatter picked up from source countries such as Sri Lanka and transit countries such as Indonesia in which New ­Zealand was being pushed as an asylum-seeker destination.

“It confirms what our intelligence has been telling us: people-smuggling syndicates remain active in our region and continue to market their services using false promises of settlement in Australia or New Zealand,” the source said. “Whether or not people-smugglers genuinely intend for their boats to reach New Zealand, it is clear that they are using publicity around New Zealand’s ­resettlement offer to market their services to vulnerable people in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.”

The Turnbull government ­yesterday was reluctant to target the New Zealand government ­directly, instead blaming Bill Shorten for supporting the deal.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton accused the Opposition Leader of risking a new wave of asylum-seekers as Mr Dutton met for the first time this year with the heads of intelligence, border control and policing agencies now under his portfolio.

The national security briefing included Department of Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo, ASIO director-general Duncan Lewis, AFP commissioner Andrew Colvin, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission chief executive Michael Phelan, Austrac’s Nicole Rose and Australian Border Force acting commissioner Michael Outram.

Mr Dutton told The Australian Mr Shorten’s support for the New Zealand offer was irresponsible and could undermine Australia’s border control efforts. “Bill Shorten flying a kite on New Zealand resettlement has given the people-smugglers a product to sell again,” he said. “There is no doubt vulnerable people will be put on boats because of Bill Shorten’s statements.

“Even after 800 boats and 50,000 people in detention, Labor has still not learnt its lesson: if you weaken your borders, the people-smugglers will take advantage of you.”

Mr Shorten has backed Ms Ardern’s offer and urged the Turnbull government to take up her deal, claiming it was similar to an agreement with the US to resettle families from Nauru. “If New Zealand want to take some of these people and PNG and these people are happy to go to New Zealand, why are we getting in the way of a fair solution,” Mr Shorten said in November.

The government has repeatedly rejected Ms Ardern’s offer on the basis that it would create “pull” factors for asylum-seekers to risk taking hazardous boat journeys to New Zealand, believing they could one day make it into Australia.

Ms Ardern’s criticism of Australia’s policy followed a stand-off on Manus Island when more than 400 detainees refused to leave the centre to go to new accommodation, claiming that their safety would be put at risk.

Ms Ardern’s office declined to respond last night to the developments cited by The Australian or Mr Dutton’s comments.

Manus Island has been the subject of long-running claims by human rights organisations that the conditions represent a human rights violation. “I see the human face of this and I see the need and the role New Zealand needs to play,” Ms Ardern said in November. “I think it’s clear that we don’t see what’s happening there as acceptable; that’s why the offer’s there.”

Opposition border protection spokesman Shayne Neumann reasserted Labor’s support for the New Zealand deal but accused the government of undermining its own policy.