Four more people have been found near the northwest corner of Western Australia less than 24 hours after border officials discovered a boat full of suspected asylum seekers.
The ABC first reported that 33 people were found on Christmas Island on Friday morning after their boat was damaged by bad weather.
NCA NewsWire has independently confirmed that a further four people, believed to be from Vietnam, were subsequently detected offshore near Broome.
The Australian Border Force did not confirm the recent arrival, but a government source anticipated it would intensify scrutiny over Labour’s handling of border protection.
The group is understood to have been flown to an offshore detention center off Nauru.
An Australian Border Force representative did not confirm the recent arrival; However, a government source anticipated it would intensify scrutiny over Labour’s handling of border protection.
Friday’s arrivals come after a group of five men believed to be from West Africa were detained last week after attempting to enter Australia illegally by boat.
Questioned on Sunday about border security concerns, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese argued he had sent a “very clear message” that illegal boat arrivals would not be accepted in the country.
‘We have a very large coastline. What is clear, however, is that unauthorized arrivals will not be settled in Australia,” Albanese told reporters.
“The principles of Operation Sovereign Borders will apply as they have in this case.”