4 NOVEMBER 2013
LARGER and more established people-smuggling outfits are holding off sending boats to Australia as they continue a watching brief on the Abbott government.
As Scott Morrison yesterday began his first visit as Immigration Minister to Nauru, the cornerstone of the Coalition's offshore processing arrangement, The Australian has been told the smuggling networks remain operational but inactive. This is despite a marked drop-off in boats since the Rudd Labor government announced its processing deal with Papua New Guinea, a trend that has continued with the change of government.
Source: The Australian