Navy wants to turn boats around: Abbott

Tony Abbott says that the Australian navy is acting as an "escort service" for people smugglers. Source: AAP

THE Australian navy would prefer to turn asylum seeker vessels around rather than act as an "escort service" for people smugglers, opposition leader Tony Abbott says.

Asylum seeker policy is expected to be high on the agenda on Friday when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd meets with Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Bogor.

Mr Rudd has repeatedly rejected opposition calls to implement a policy of sending back asylum seeker vessels bound for Australia, citing safety concerns.

However, Mr Abbott says other navies, such as the Sri Lankan and US forces, have a policy of turning boats around, and the Australian navy should do the same.

"What we've got at the moment is an escort service for the people smugglers," Mr Abbott told Fairfax Radio on Friday.

"I think it's an embarrassment to our country because the people smugglers are having a lend of us.

"I suspect the naval personnel would be only too happy to respond to orders that allow this problem to be solved."

Mr Abbott said Mr Rudd's refusal to turn boats around on safety grounds was a "completely self-serving argument".

"The Australian navy has no problem with boarding pirate vessels in the Persian Gulf.

"You'd think that was rather more dangerous than boarding a boat-people vessel," he said.

In a change of tack following months of criticism of Julia Gillard's handling of asylum seeker policy, Mr Abbott appeared to absolve the former prime minister of blame, instead pointing the finger at Mr Rudd's dismantling of the Pacific Solution.

"Julia Gillard did her best to fix it (while) she was prime minister, but she wasn't able to fix the mess that Mr Rudd created."

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