"But the minister's admission that the 560 people would in fact be processed in Australia was "exactly what the smugglers told their customers would happen", one source said yesterday.
Sources contacted this week said the Gillard government had a deep credibility deficit that smuggling syndicates were exploiting by telling customers Australia would not send back unaccompanied minors and was unlikely to send back family groups with young children.
Once the children were settled in Australia, so the marketing line goes, parents and older siblings could be sponsored for visas."
