THE federal government has finally confirmed that an asylum-seeker boat reached Darwin on Monday and was one of three to arrive in Australian waters in the past week.
Operation Sovereign Borders commander Lieutenant General Angus Campbell said the two other vessels arrived at Christmas Island on November 10 and 11.
The three boats carried a total of 163 passengers and eight crew.
Despite various reports during the week, the government wouldn't confirm or deny the arrival of the Darwin vessel, or any others.
General Campbell defended the policy to stick to weekly briefings, and limit discussion about the details of operational information regarding boat interceptions.
It was designed to protect the integrity of the operations, which he is overseeing to combat people smuggling.
"I do not believe in secrecy for secrecy's sake," he told reporters in Sydney.
General Campbell said he wouldn't disclose anything which would give people smugglers an advantage or could be used by them to manipulate or confuse their potential customers.
"They use official announcements of vessel interceptions to persuade people that the way to Australian remains open. It does not," he said.
General Campbell said information about arrivals led to release of final payments to the smugglers, but delays would complicate their operations in an increasingly tight market.
"We know that passengers have been told on occasion by people smugglers not to be concerned by the poor state of their vessel, by the inexperience of their crew by the lack of provisions on board because their voyage will be short and they will very quickly marry up with an Australian vessel," he said.
"People smugglers are using these announcements to claim victory."
General Campbell declined to provide further details of the Darwin boat arrival.
"I think that I've made a fairly reasonable position that I am not going to talk about the procedures the events so forth of vessels that we intercept," he said.
Asked if those who arrived in Darwin were being held in detention in that city, he said "those people, and those people who arrive on Christmas Island, immediately enter into the 48 hour rapid transfer process (to Manus Island or Nauru)".
"There will be some who do not complete that process in 48 hours, but the greater majority do," he said.
Further to the general's remarks, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison also drew a line under how the weekly briefings would run in the future.
This was to offset any "improper reflections" on the role of defence in Australia's border protection polices and implementation.
General Campbell would in future make his report, take a few questions and then withdraw from the briefing to leave Mr Morrison to take questions on general operational matters.
Mr Morrison described the change as "preventative".
This week, Labor has pursued Mr Morrison in parliament for more up-to-the-minute details over the latest boat arrivals.
The general said he was aware of the political debate in parliament and that the comments he had made on Friday were his own.
Mr Morrison said he had raised concerns about protecting the integrity of defence in a meeting with Australian Defence Force (ADF) chief General David Hurley.
"In order to avoid any suggestion or perception being promoted - for whatever purposes - about the role of the ADF in Operation Sovereign Borders, at my initiative and without being requested or without any issue being raised with me, I will be drawing a clear line between the operational and more general components of this briefing," he said.
General Campbell said he was unaware of any concerns within defence on this issue.
He said he was also not aware if concerns were raised with defence under the previous Labor government.
"Before September 18 (when the operations began) I was doing very different things," he said.
Further to the general's remarks, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison also drew a line under how the weekly briefings would run in the future.
This was to offset any "improper reflections" on the role of defence in Australia's border protection polices and implementation.
General Campbell would in future make his report, take a few questions and then withdraw from the briefing to leave Mr Morrison to take questions on general operational matters.
Mr Morrison described the change as "preventative".
This week, Labor has pursued Mr Morrison in parliament for more up-to-the-minute details over the latest boat arrivals.
The general said he was aware of the political debate in parliament and that the comments he had made on Friday were his own.
Mr Morrison said he had raised concerns about protecting the integrity of defence in a meeting with Australian Defence Force (ADF) chief General David Hurley.
"In order to avoid any suggestion or perception being promoted - for whatever purposes - about the role of the ADF in Operation Sovereign Borders, at my initiative and without being requested or without any issue being raised with me, I will be drawing a clear line between the operational and more general components of this briefing," he said.
General Campbell said he was unaware of any concerns within defence on this issue.
He said he was also not aware if concerns were raised with defence under the previous Labor government.
"Before September 18 (when the operations began) I was doing very different things," he said.
In any case, it is not right to offer information that amounted to "proof of life and proof of transit" to people smugglers about their boat passengers.
Mr Morrison agreed his government was doing things differently to Labor on border protection "to make sure the pledges made to the Australian people are honoured".
Meanwhile, Mr Morrison also revealed he had asked his department to review the circumstances surrounding the separation of a female asylum seeker and her newborn baby.
The minister has defended the woman's treatment after it was reported that she was only allowed to visit her sick newborn during the day and forced to sleep overnight in a Brisbane detention centre.
"I have requested my department to look at the arrangements ... to ensure that a mother would have as much access to their child as they would request, consistent with the standards and opportunities that would be otherwise available to any Australian at that hospital," he said.
However, he pointed out the woman had not been treated any differently.
"The doctors at the hospital had advised that this is common practice with mothers not to stay overnight with their children in special care due to bed restrictions," he said.
"My advice was that this mother was being treated the same ... in terms of access to the hospital, as any other Australian would."
Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has ridiculed Mr Morrison's latest boats briefing as "farcical Friday", and dismissed claims the secrecy is needed for operational reasons.
"This is all political," Senator Hanson-Young said.
"This is a government whose policy is in tatters," she told reporters in Canberra.
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