i think our govt. should remove our vessels from this area, maybe a long period of repairs and refurbishment on the slips. this would improve our vessels, and be a fiscal saving on the cost of bringing the queue jumping financial opportunists to Australia. if our vessels were not available in the area we would have no obligation under the international rules of the sea to pick them up.......it seems that most of these 'refugee' vessels are still close to Indonesia when they become 'troubled', i.e. in an ideal position for Indonesia to rescue them.. bet this would reduce the number of boats massively !!!!!!!! of course we could be obliged to still send aircraft to drop buoyancy aids to help keep these people afloat until Indonesia could rescue them..
