Asylum boat carrying 65 intercepted
Authorities have intercepted a boat carrying 65 asylum seekers off the WA coast.
ACV Hervey Bay found the boat north-west of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands last night.
Border Protection Command is to transfer the passengers first to Cocos Islands then on to the Christmas Island detention centre for security, health and identity checks.
Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said today people arriving by boat without a visa after August 13 run the risk of being transferred to processing centre on Nauru and Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island.
Federal Parliament’s lower house yesterday passed a bill allowing offshore processing on Nauru.
Today the Senate is to debate the approval of Nauru as a regional processing nation.
