Turning back boats can work, says former Australian navy chief Chris Ritchie Retired Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie stands by the use of boat turn-backs under the former Howard government's border protection policy. A FORMER chief of the Australian navy says turning back asylum seeker boats worked during the Howard years and could work again today if the strategy was resurrected. And it comes as Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says the Australian navy would prefer to turn asylum seeker vessels around rather than act as an "escort service" for people smugglers. Retired Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie was chief of the navy between 2002 and 2005 and stands by the use of boat turn-backs under the former Howard government's border protection policy. He said turn-back operations, as practised in 2001, were a "hazardous, risky task" as the navy was dealing with people determined to reach Australia no matter the cost. Nevertheless, it's a legitimate navy operation. It's something that navies have done over centuries," he told ABC radio this morning. In that sense, if the government gives a direction to do it, the navy people will do it and they'll do it well. The Coalition has vowed to reintroduce a policy of turning back asylum seeker boats where it's safe to do so. Vice Admiral Ritchie said the navy would leave the vessels with just enough fuel to reach Indonesia, before turning them around and sending them back. He conceded the navy only turned four boats back successfully but says the impact was nonetheless clear. No more boats came. None at all," he said. If the conditions were replicated, it could still work. He said the Indonesians were always alerted when a boat was being turned back, and when it was expected in their territory. Kevin Rudd has repeatedly rejected Opposition calls to implement a policy of sending back asylum seeker vessels bound for Australia, citing safety concerns. Mr Abbott seized on Admiral Ritchie's comments, saying turn-backs were more than doable. "It was done in the past and there's no reason why it can't be done in the future," he told reporters. Earlier Mr Abbott said other navies, such as the Sri Lankan and US forces, have a policy of turning boats around, and the Australian navy should do the same. "What we've got at the moment is an escort service for the people smugglers," Mr Abbott told Fairfax Radio this morning. In a change of tack following months of criticism of Julia Gillard's handling of asylum seeker policy, Mr Abbott appeared to absolve the former PM of blame, instead pointing the finger at Mr Rudd's dismantling of the Pacific Solution. Asylum seeker policy is expected to be high on the agenda for Mr Rudd's talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Bogor today. Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said it was a "false test" to suggest an agreement was needed between Australia and Indonesia over implementing a turn-back policy. Mr Morrison, who was in Jakarta last week, said no such agreement existed during the Howard years but said he was confident of the broader cooperation of Indonesia on mutual asylum seeker strategies. "Our Prime Minister John Howard never spoke to the Indonesian President about this matter," he told Sky News today. These are things that are happening on our border, and our sovereignty.