The problem with this 78 people was the failure to communicate at the outset. The rescue was well done but no-one bothered to ask where they had escaped from. If they had they would have known that taking them back to the same place was illegal under the refugee convention article 33 and the laws of non-refoulement.

It appears they have been in one of our hellish prisons for the past 4 or 5 years after being suckered by the AFP and INP that they would be allowed a place if they applied in Indonesia.

Are you aware that we have cops and spies crawling all over Asia hunting refugees? And having them illegally locked up?

Read the estimates from 20 October and weep.

Rudd learnt nothing from the horror of Ruddock’s reign, and he should be ashamed of himself.