Did the government pay people smugglers to turn boats back to Indonesia?

Just answer the question, Mr Abbott.

Has the Australian Government been paying people smugglers to take boats full of asylum seekers back to Indonesia?

That’s the question everyone wants answered after allegations that authorities paid people smugglers $US5000 each (and $40,000 in total) to turn boats around came to light.

Yep. In a nation where people smugglers are widely known to be “evil”, it turns out the government may be giving money directly to the enemy.

As The Project host Waleedy Aly pointed out, when questioned about these allegations, Prime Minister Tony Abbott did not deny them.

In fact, he refuses to respond to Indonesia’s calls to investigate the claims, and maintains the only thing we need to know is that Australia has stopped the boats.

Basically, he’s saying it’s his business and not ours.

Aly has told Prime Minister Tony Abbott to come forward with the truth about these allegations — because, as taxpayers and voters, it actually is our business.

“There are all sorts of things our security agencies do… Many of those things should never be discussed in public,” Tony Abbott told 3AW.

This may be all well and good — only the government is using taxpayer funds to bribe these people smugglers.

The controversy has called to question the secrecy of ‘Operation Sovereign Borders’ — Australia’s asylum seeker policy.

“It is now time for Mr ­Abbott to make it clear: Has taxpayers’ money… been paid by the Abbott government to criminal people-smugglers or not? Australians deserve that answer,” Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said.

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