The claim refers to multiple incidents that occurred in late December 2013 and early January 2014 under the Abbott government's Operation Sovereign Borders.
**The first incident (December 2013):**
Indonesian authorities reported that the Australian Navy intercepted an asylum seeker boat carrying 47 mostly Somali and Sudanese asylum seekers on December 13, 2013, forcing them back toward Indonesia.
Indonesian police chief Hidayat stated the asylum seekers were "pushed" back by the Australian Navy after being intercepted en route to the Ashmore Islands [1].
**The second incident (Christmas 2013):**
A separate incident involved 42 asylum seekers on a boat that reached Christmas Island on December 23, 2013.
The engine stopped before reaching shore, forcing passengers to swim for approximately an hour to reach land [2].
据 jù 寻求 xún qiú 庇护 bì hù 者 zhě 拉赫曼 lā hè màn · · 阿里 ā lǐ 称 chēng , , 在 zài 他们 tā men 的 de 燃料 rán liào 耗尽 hào jìn 后 hòu , , 一名 yī míng 澳大利亚 ào dà lì yà 机械师 jī xiè shī 提供 tí gōng 了 le 燃料 rán liào 并 bìng 检查 jiǎn chá 了 le 他们 tā men 的 de 发动机 fā dòng jī 。 。
Two asylum seekers reportedly jumped overboard during the tow-back operation in apparent suicide attempts [2].
**Regarding the "Indonesian waters" claim:**
The Australian government subsequently admitted that Australian border protection vessels had "inadvertently" breached Indonesian territorial sovereignty on multiple occasions during these operations [3].
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison acknowledged the violations and the Australian government formally apologized to Indonesia on January 17, 2014 [3][4].
The claim omits several critical pieces of context:
**Operational Context:**
The Abbott government had explicitly campaigned on and implemented a "boat turnback" policy as part of Operation Sovereign Borders, which began in September 2013 [5].
* * * * 行动 xíng dòng 背景 bèi jǐng : : * * * *
This policy was publicly announced and formed a central part of the government's border protection platform.
The operations were conducted with the stated goal of preventing asylum seeker deaths at sea and disrupting people-smuggling operations [5].
**Government Response:**
When reports of these incidents emerged, the government maintained a policy of not commenting on "on-water matters" for operational security reasons [1].
However, after Indonesia raised concerns about territorial violations, the Australian government acknowledged and apologized for the incursions [3].
**Strained Bilateral Relations:**
These incidents occurred against a backdrop of already strained Australia-Indonesia relations following revelations of Australian spying on Indonesian officials (the "spying scandal") [1].
**Sydney Morning Herald (Michael Bachelard):**
The Sydney Morning Herald is a mainstream Australian newspaper with a reputation for credible journalism.
The SMH article is based on direct testimony from an asylum seeker (Rahman Ali) and corroborated by Indonesian authorities.
**ABC News:**
ABC News is Australia's public broadcaster, widely considered neutral and authoritative.
《 《 悉尼 xī ní 先驱 xiān qū 晨报 chén bào 》 》 的 de 文章 wén zhāng 基于 jī yú 寻求 xún qiú 庇护 bì hù 者 zhě 拉赫曼 lā hè màn · · 阿里 ā lǐ 的 de 直接 zhí jiē 证词 zhèng cí , , 并 bìng 得到 dé dào 印度尼西亚 yìn dù ní xī yà 当局 dāng jú 的 de 证实 zhèng shí 。 。
The ABC's reporting on this issue was based on Indonesian government sources (Antara newswire) and local Indonesian police reports [1].
**Overall Assessment:** The original sources are from reputable mainstream media outlets with established credibility.
* * * * ABC ABC 新闻 xīn wén : : * * * *
While there may be minor political leanings, the factual reporting on these incidents was based on official Indonesian sources and direct testimony.
**Did Labor do something similar?**
Search conducted: "Labor government offshore processing asylum seekers Indonesia boat policy"
Finding: The Labor government (Gillard/Rudd 2007-2013) did not implement boat turnbacks to Indonesia.
* * * *
However, they did implement the "Pacific Solution" (reopened by Gillard in August 2012) which established offshore processing centers on Nauru and Manus Island [7][8].
In July 2013, the Rudd government announced the "PNG Solution" - the Regional Resettlement Arrangement - whereby all asylum seekers arriving by boat would be sent to Papua New Guinea for processing and resettlement, with no possibility of settlement in Australia [9][10].
**Comparison:**
- **Coalition (2013-2022):** Implemented boat turnbacks to Indonesia, which involved towing or escorting boats back to Indonesian waters
- **Labor (2012-2013):** Implemented offshore processing on Nauru and Manus Island, and the PNG Solution sending all boat arrivals to Papua New Guinea
Both approaches were designed to deter asylum seekers from attempting dangerous boat journeys to Australia.
发现 fā xiàn : : 工党 gōng dǎng 政府 zhèng fǔ ( ( 吉拉德 jí lā dé / / 陆克文 lù kè wén 2007 2007 - - 2013 2013 ) ) 没有 méi yǒu 实施 shí shī 向 xiàng 印度尼西亚 yìn dù ní xī yà 遣返 qiǎn fǎn 船只 chuán zhī 的 de 政策 zhèng cè 。 。
The Labor policy effectively outsourced asylum processing to Pacific nations, while the Coalition policy directly returned boats to Indonesia.
然而 rán ér , , 他们 tā men 确实 què shí 实施 shí shī 了 le " " 太平洋 tài píng yáng 解决方案 jiě jué fāng àn " " ( ( 吉拉德 jí lā dé 于 yú 2012 2012 年 nián 8 8 月 yuè 重新启动 chóng xīn qǐ dòng ) ) , , 在 zài 瑙鲁 nǎo lǔ 和 hé 马努斯 mǎ nǔ sī 岛 dǎo 建立 jiàn lì 了 le 离岸 lí àn 处理 chǔ lǐ 中心 zhōng xīn [ [ 7 7 ] ] [ [ 8 8 ] ] 。 。
Both policies drew criticism from human rights organizations and created diplomatic tensions, though Labor's approach did not involve direct territorial violations of Indonesian waters.
The offshore processing policy has continued under subsequent governments of both parties, with the most recent Labor government (2022-present) maintaining offshore detention arrangements [11].
**Government Justification:**
The Coalition government maintained that Operation Sovereign Borders, including boat turnbacks where safe to do so, was necessary to:
1.
Maintain the integrity of Australia's immigration system [5]
The government also emphasized that it respected Indonesian territorial sovereignty and any violations were inadvertent [3].
**Critics' Perspective:**
Critics, including the Greens and refugee advocacy groups, argued that:
1.
3 3 . . 维护 wéi hù 澳大利亚 ào dà lì yà 移民 yí mín 制度 zhì dù 的 de 完整性 wán zhěng xìng [ [ 5 5 ] ]
The turnback policy placed asylum seekers in danger
2.
The incidents demonstrated a disregard for safety and international law
3.
* * * * 批评者 pī píng zhě 观点 guān diǎn : : * * * *
The "operational secrecy" prevented proper accountability [1]
**Key Context:** This approach was **not** unique to the Coalition in its fundamental goal of deterring boat arrivals, though the specific method (direct turnbacks vs. offshore processing) differed.
The Labor government's PNG Solution was described by critics as equally harsh, completely violating the human rights of boat arrivals by sending them to PNG with no chance of Australian settlement [10].
Both parties have used hardline deterrence policies, with the Coalition choosing direct turnbacks and Labor choosing offshore processing and third-country resettlement.
The incidents described in the claim were part of a broader policy framework that had been explicitly promised to voters and implemented with the stated goal of saving lives, though the execution raised legitimate concerns about safety and respect for Indonesian sovereignty.
The passengers on one boat did have to swim for approximately an hour to reach shore after the boat's engine failed [2]
However, the claim as presented lacks important context about the government's stated rationale (deterring dangerous voyages), the public nature of the policy, and the fact that Labor governments implemented similarly hardline policies using different methods (offshore processing).
The claim frames these as isolated incidents of misconduct rather than as part of a broader, publicly declared policy with both supporters and critics.
The passengers on one boat did have to swim for approximately an hour to reach shore after the boat's engine failed [2]
However, the claim as presented lacks important context about the government's stated rationale (deterring dangerous voyages), the public nature of the policy, and the fact that Labor governments implemented similarly hardline policies using different methods (offshore processing).
The claim frames these as isolated incidents of misconduct rather than as part of a broader, publicly declared policy with both supporters and critics.