Abbott turns back two boats, just like Labor wouldn't Remember how Labor swore Tony Abbott would or should never use the navy to send boat people back to Indonesia? Prime Minister Julia Gillard, January 2012: This is a dangerous and reckless approach... Turning a boat around is not worth the risk of losing an Australian life. Immigration Minister Chris Bowen, January 2012: It's not only impractical but highly dangerous... I don't think treating people in a brutal way on the high seas and risking the lives of them and Australian personnel is the way to go. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, June 2013: I am very concerned about whether if Mr Abbott became prime minister and continues that rhetoric and that posture and actually tries to translate it into reality I really wonder whether he is trying to risk some sort of conflict with Indonesia.... It's not a good thing, it's a really bad thing. Remember how Labor would pick up boat people from as close as 43km from the Indonesian coast and ferry them to Christmas Island? August, 2012: PASSENGERS on an asylum seeker boat just 23 nautical miles off Indonesia telephoned in an SOS to Australia to organise a Navy transfer to Christmas Island... HMAS Melville was en route to Christmas Island with 80 suspected asylum seekers after they phoned Australian officials fearing they were lost off Indonesia and needed assistance.... July, 2012: Eighty-one asylum seekers were transferred to HMAS Childers south-west of Java late yesterday and were on their way to Christmas Islandâ¦ In the latest incident, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority received a call about 10am requesting help about 40 nautical miles from the Java coast. July, 2013: AMSA coordinated the response to a vessel requesting assistance approximately 42 nautical miles south of Java... HMAS Larrakia was also tasked to respond and arrived on scene at around 5pm. In fact, Abbott has done exactly what Labor wouldn't and said he couldn't: A group of 44 asylum seekers have been taken to a port in Java after being rescued by an Australian navy vessel in the Sunda Strait. And a second: Also on Friday, the Australian Customs Vessel Triton saved 34 asylum seekers off the coast of Rote Island and transferred them on Saturday morning to the Indonesian rescue agency Basarnas.