A boat carrying about 70 asylum seekers has been intercepted off Western Australia – the third to arrive this week.
HMAS Maryborough stopped the vessel today northeast of Scott Reef, about 300km north of the Dampier Peninsula.
The boat is carrying an estimated 71 people although it is not clear how many are asylum-seekers and how many are crew members.
It is the third asylum-seeker boat to arrive this week.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen says without a genuine deterrent, like the Malaysia solution, asylum seekers will continue to risk their lives.
The asylum-seekers will be taken to Christmas Island for security, health and identity checks.