Govt never received AFP report: Evans

The federal opposition has called on the government to come clean over "dynamite"
claims it was warned its softened border protection rules would attract more asylum
seekers.
But the government says there was no such warning.
Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop pounced on media reports that
the Australian Federal Police (AFP) had weeks ago secretly warned that Australia was
becoming a haven for asylum seekers.
The warning allegedly came before Thursday's boat explosion which killed at least
three people.
"If that report is accurate, that is dynamite for the Rudd government because it
means the government was warned that its policies were failing and yet it did
nothing," Ms Bishop told reporters in Perth.
"I've called on the government to release the Australian Federal Police report and
any other advice that it has received on the impact of its softened stance on border
protection."
The government has relaxed border protection laws, curtailing the time spent in
mandatory detention, and allowing access to more permanent visas and appeal rights.
Immigration Minister Chris Evans said he had not received a warning from the AFP
that the new policy was making Australia a target.
"I haven't received such advice," he said.
But Senator Evans also said he would not tell the media about advice given to him.
The 44 survivors of the blast, believed to be mostly Afghan men, are being treated
for various injuries, some severe, and doctors hope they will all survive.
They are in hospitals in Brisbane, Perth and Darwin; six were flown from Darwin to
Brisbane on Saturday for specialist treatment.
Three of the men in Darwin are out of hospital and in official custody.
Police have begun interviewing almost 100 witnesses to the fatal blast, while there
is still no official word on what caused the explosion.
There has been speculation the passengers doused the ship with petrol in a sabotage
attempt.
Senator Evans described it as a "potential crime scene".
He said the search for two missing passengers on the boat has been called off,
effectively taking the death toll to five. But the Northern Territory Police said
the search was continuing.
There are reports that another vessel carrying suspected asylum seekers is on its
way to Australia.
Senator Evans did not confirm this, but said authorities were on "high alert"
because there was a strong chance of more arrivals.
Meanwhile, the Greens have called for asylum seekers who arrive by boat to be
allowed onto the mainland, instead of being shipped to remote islands.
Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said it would be safer, more
humane, and allow for faster medical aid.
Arrivals are currently sent to Christmas Island, an Australian territory 2,600km
from Perth, near Indonesia. Senator Hanson-Young wants a rethink.
"It makes no sense to transport arrivees back across hundreds of kilometres of ocean
to Christmas Island for example, further putting lives at risk," she said.