Abbott plan riles Defence chief
Tony Abbott's national security credentials are being questioned after Australia's military savaged his plan to wage "war" on people smugglers.
In a rare move, Chief of Defence David Hurley issued a statement defending the current chain of command in response to the coalition saying it would appoint a "three-star" general to oversee efforts to stop the boats.
The influential Australian Defence Association warned Mr Abbott's plan risked offending the bedrock Westminster principle to keep "the gun out of our politics".
Constitutional experts and former defence secretary Paul Barratt warned that the Opposition's proposal would require a rewriting of the Defence Act. He said the plan had enormous risk of creating a "swashbuckling outfit" outside normal controls.
Mr Abbott unveiled his border protection plan, dubbed Operation Sovereign Borders, yesterday. Under it, the Chief of Defence would appoint a senior officer to command all border protection agencies. This three-star officer would report directly to the Immigration Minister.
"The scale of this problem requires the discipline and focus of a targeted military operation placed under a single operational and ministerial command and drawing together all the necessary resources and deployments of government agencies," Mr Abbott said in his announcement.
But in a statement just 30 minutes later, Gen. Hurley appeared to bridle at the suggestion Defence was not already deeply involved in protecting Australia's borders. He also scotched the suggestion that he had input into the coalition plan.
Gen. Hurley said about 500 Defence personnel were already assigned to Operation Resolute - the mission to detect and sometimes rescue asylum vessels.
"The work is difficult, dangerous and unrelenting," he said.
"The men and women who are deployed on Operation Resolute do an outstanding job under intense scrutiny."
Defence Materiel Minister Mike Kelly, a former senior army officer, said Mr Abbott's plan was "armchair warrior stuff".
"This is repulsive and a disgrace," Dr Kelly said. "Mr Abbott is taking a cavalier attitude to the welfare of defence personnel."
Privately, senior coalition MPs were distancing themselves last night from Mr Abbott's plan while complaining the policy was not put to shadow cabinet.
Operation Sovereign Borders would be established within 100 days of the coalition taking government and involve all 12 border security agencies.
Mr Abbott says a coalition government would also take 100 days to finalise the mechanics for turning back boats. He was flanked at his press conference by retired Maj-Gen. Jim Molan, who helped craft the policy.
The navy stopped a boat with about 100 asylum seekers near Ashmore Reef late on Tuesday.
Two passengers needing treatment and seven of their family were headed for Darwin.
The others are being taken to Christmas Island for transfer to Papua New Guinea under the Government's new policy.
