Prime Minister Julia Gillard today announced the Government will immediately provide extra resources to our regional partners to help wreck the business of people smuggling.
The boost to law enforcement agencies in our region is a further step by the Gillard Government to strengthen our border protection arrangements and ensure fair, sustainable and effective processes to deal with irregular migration across the region.
Extra support will be provided to law enforcement agencies in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, building on our pledge to tackle people smuggling through regional co-operation.
The package includes:
* Extra patrol boats, surveillance aircraft and communications equipment to help the Indonesian National Police detect and disrupt people smuggling ventures in Indonesian waters.
* New land-based policing surveillance and investigative equipment for partner law enforcement agencies in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand,Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
* Seven more Australian Federal Police officers to increase our presence in the region and boost the team that works with our regional law enforcement partners.
* $5 million to develop the computer forensic capabilities of the Indonesian National Police.
The $24.8 million package underlines this Government's commitment to working with our neighbours on this complex problem.
We believe that establishing a sustainable regional protection framework is the most effective way to address irregular migration and put people smugglers out of business.
We recognise the burden faced by our neighbours in dealing with people smuggling and want to continue to work productively and closely with other countries to put a stop to this dangerous and inhumane trade.
Close cooperation between the Australian Federal Police and our regional law enforcement partners is critical to the fight against people smuggling and this approach is already delivering results.
Operations involving Australian agencies have resulted in authorities in Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Indonesia disrupting 204 people smuggling ventures involving more than 5,000 people bound for Australia since September 2008.
The $24.8 million package builds on the $1.2 billion dedicated to bolstering Australia's border security in the 2010-11Budget which builds on the previous year's whole-of-government strategy to combat people smuggling and enhance border protection.
We will take away the product that people smugglers are trying to sell, toughen the penalties for those involved in people smuggling and work towards an effective, sustainable, long term regional solution to deal with the challenge of irregular arrivals.